f LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.! 



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I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



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OR, 



HOME THOUGHTS 



FOB, THE WEARY. 



By REV. D. P. NEWTON, 

Author of "Flaming Sword,", " The Golden Rule," " Apples of 
Gold," " Shining Light," etc., etc 







NEW YOEK: 

PUBLISHED BY M. L. BYRN, 

No. 80 CEDAR STREET 

1874. 



3 ¥+661 




Entered according to act of Congress, in the year t^t-* bv 

MARCUS L. BYRN, 
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



INTRODUCTORY AND EXPLANATORY. 



" H OME THRUSTS." 

OR, 

MUCH IN LITTLE. 

" Faith, like a little mustard-seed, can move a lofty mountain, 
And do full many mighty deeds, quite past all our recounting. 
A little timely zeal is good, it doth the heart inspire, 
A little spark illuminates, and sets each soul on fire ; 
A little charity is sweet ; and when in tribulation 
A little patience brings the soul large peace and consolation. 

A little daily cheerfulness, a little self-denial, 
Will make our lighter troubles less, and help each heavier trial ; 
A little union serves to hold the good and tender-hearted, 
'Tis firmer than a chain of gold and never can be parted. 

Then let love's little labors be the earliest and latest, 
For in G-od's kingdom, all must know, the least shall be the greatest 
Oh, grant us, Lord ! a blessed shower of heavenly love and union, 
And may thy little children all unite in full communion." 

" Home Thrusts," says a forcible writer, "are what 
we need, must have— things practical, pointed — the flint, 
the fire, the hammer, the holy unction, Sinai's crash, the 
lightning's flash; fire on fire; household preaching, 
things that cut to the quick! 'sharper than any two 
edged sword,' that tell on the conscience ' Thou art the 
man V 'Small Bullets do great Execution,' an article 
pithily expressed, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, is 
often quoted from one end of the land to the other, and 
becomes a sword for millions." 

This volume of 400 pages is an epitome or synopsis 



Ill INTRODUCTORY AND EXPLANATORY. 

of some seventeen years of Editorial labor ; containing 
the best, choicest — the most pointed, life-giving, soul- 
cheering, reformatory articles inserted in The Golden 
Rule, and other Periodicals. These articles on various 
subjects of light, life, and salvation, have been revised, 
many of them re-written, put anew into the Gospel cru- 
cible, and in a condensed form, giving merely the cream, 
the marrow, the soul, the life, the power, the essential 
parts of the whole, in as small a compass as practicable. 

In addition to the foregoing is " The Family Circle, " 
a goodly number of recently written, original articles, on 
the subject of Parental Discipline, the duties of husbands 
and wives, parents and children, ministers and people: — 
Education in its various branches, courtesy, politeness 
of manners, temperance in all things, health of body, 
mind, and soul ; " holiness to the Lord ;" — moclesty, 
purity of thought, word, and action. 

"The family is a little book, 
The children are the leaves, 
The parents are the cover, that 
Protecting beauty gives." 

The Bible is the text-book. "To the law and to the 
testimony, if they speak not according to this word it is 
because there is no light in them." — Isa. viii. 20. 



CONTENTS 



I FAGS 

Introductory and Explanatory 7 

Winter Evenings at Home 9 

Practice what you Preach 14 

Social Parties . 15 

Never hold Malice . . . 19 

Meetings for Holiness or the Higher Christian Life 20 

To a Friend , . 23 

Early Rising ; or, Mary at the Saviour's Tomb 24 

Honesty in Buying and Selling 28 

I Miss Thee, My Mother .... 32 

The Pride of Fashion 33 

Social Meetings for Worship 39 

Mourning Apparel 43 

My Mother's Grave 48 

Stiff Necks and Strait Jackets 49 

The Flowers have gone to Heaven 53 

A Chapter on Thanksgiving. 54 

Beautiful Flowers 58 

Fresh Air 61 

Christian Union 64 

Doubting, Doubters, and a Bundle of Doubts 65 

Out-Door Exercise ; or, Ruth gleaning in the Field 70 

The Devil a Cheat 72 

Singing to the Lord 76 

Cultivate Music. 79 

Always Young, always Beautiful 80 

" My Beloved is Mine, and I am His " 85 

Leaving Satan behind, or a Blessing or a Curse 86 

The Bible.—No. 1 89 

Live Forever and Forever 90 

Faithfulness 91 

Sowiug the Good Seed 92 

Holiness to the Lord. — No. 1 96 

Boxing Up Lightning; or, Holiness to the Lord. — No. II 104 

Friendship 107 

Holiness to the Lord. — No. Ill 108 

The Twilight Hour 113 

" No Cross no Crown " 114 

Let us try to be Happy 122 

Fruits for Food '. . 123 

Forgiveness 1 .... . 124 



IV CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Silencing Women in Worshiping Assemblies 125 

Clear the Track 130 

11 Thou shalt not Steal" 133 

Dumb Devils 134 

The Serpent of Serpents 136 

Well spent Hours 139 

Duty, Duty — Do your Duty 140 

The Crystal Fountain 143 

Rum's Doings 144 

Count the Cost 147 

White Lies and Black Lies 148 

Summer 151 

The Mischief-maker. . . . . . 152 

Manfearing. 154 

Telling Jesus 156 

The Indian Weed 160 

"The Love of Money the Root of All Evil" 164 

SickFolks 166 

The Bible the Light, the Life.— No. 1 168 

Enemies of the Bible 173 

The Bible the Light, the Life.— No. II 174 

The Bible the Light, the Life.— No. Ill 178 

Eternity 181 

Closet Work the Work.— No. 1 182 

Business and Prayer. 188 

Closet Work the Work.— No. II 189 

Sweet Conversation — Heavenly. . . 194 

Women and Family Devotion 195 

Posture in Prayer 197 

Lightning Prayer 200 

Longings of Soul 204 

The True Reformer 209 

Evil Thoughts 214 

Consecration Complete, Salvation Complete 215 

Consecration.— No. II 222 

Heaven 224 

Fire! Fire! Fire! 225 

The Wine-cup 228 

The Saviour crowned with Thorns. 230 

A Good FamuVBook 231 

The Married Relation.— No. 1 233 

The Married Relation.— No. II 238 

Dare and Do 242 

" Two Better than One " 243 

Family Revivals 247 

The Model School 251 

The Little Ones 257 

The Sweet Story of Old 261 

Family Duties — Morning and Evening 262 

Neglect Family Worship ? 264 



CONTENTS, V 

PAQTC 

Family Music 265 

Hints to Parents. — No. I , 268 

Hints to Parents.— No. II 271 

Ten Ways to commit Suicide. 273 

Hints to Parents.— No. Ill 274 

Don't Dream, but Act 277 

Hints to Parents.— No. IV 278 

Hints to Parents.— No. V 281 

Hints to Parents.— No. VI. 284 

Hints to Parents.— No. VII 288 

Bear and Forbear 290 

Good Children a Blessing 291 

Religion at Home 292 

A Word to Parents and Teaches on Reading 293 

Food for Children W.. 299 

Tovs for Children *. 303 

The Battle of Life 306 

Eyes and Ears — Ears and Eyes 307 

Cheerfulness 309 

Hints to Mothers.— No. 1 310 

Loving Little Folks 313 

Modesty 315 

Keep the Peace 316 

The Beautiful Emily 317 

Spring 320 

Please your Husband ! 321 

Beauties of Nature — Beauties of Grace 325 

The Gift of Gifts.— No. 1 328 

The Good Wife 330 

The Gift of Gifts.— No. II 331 

A Hint to Wives 334 

I Wait for Thee 337 

A Bible Woman, or A Woman of the Bible 338 

A Plan for reading the Bible through in One Year 340 

A Word to Mothers.— No. II 341 

Once, Only Once.— No. 1 344 

Once, and Only Once.— No. II 346 

Beauty of Solitude , 347 

Work for Boys and Girls 348 

Woman 349 

The Mother's Mission 350 

The Family 351 

A Word to the Little Folks 352 

The Country 354 

Girls should learn to Keep House 356 

Never Put Off 358 

Summer is here 359 

A Spoiled Boy 361 

Don't shoot the Birds 362 

The Birds 363 



VI CONTENTS. 

PAG* 

Little Sermons 364 

Keeping Little Folks Busy 366 

Exampfe Kills, Example Cures 370 

Bad Folks 372 

Safeguards 375 

" I Didn't Think " 376 

Punctuality 377 

Stray Sheep 378 

A Word to our Little Readers 381 

IVe Nothing to Do 383 

Wicked Boys. 384 

The Street School and its Fruits 387 

Signs of Prosperity 389 

Eyes and No Eyes fc 390 

Is there No God ? 391 

Reverence for the Aged 392 

Kindness to Animals 395 

Quick Time 397 

Self-willed Children 398 

The Little Folks — Do You notice Them ? 399 

Religious Training 401 

The Good Dog Towser and the Boy Willie 402 

Do Animals Talk ? 405 

" Old Man"— 1 ' Old Woman " 406 

My Sister's Grave 407 

True Source of Light and Comfort 409 

A Word to Little Folks 410 

Flowers 413 

Peacock and Butterfly Felks 414 

Early Charity 415 

The Bad Girl 416 

Little Jane — the Lovely Child 418 

The Birds and the Nest 419 

Gathering Flowers 420 

Freedom and the Caged Bird 422 

The Dying Wife 424 

The Little One sleeps 427 

Farewell 429 

Appendix 431 

For Articles omitted in this volume, see Appendix, page 431. 



WIITER EVENINGS AT HOME. 

" The light of Home ! how bright it beams 
When evening shades around us fall ; 
And from the lattice far it gleams, 

To love and rest and comfort call ; 
"When tired with the toils of day, 

The strife of glory, gold and fame, 
How sweet to seek the quiet way, 
Where loving lips will lisp our name 

Around the light at Home." 

Friends, how do you spend the long winter even- 
ings ? In Wisdom's ways ? in reading, meditating, 
treasuring up useful knowledge, scientific, historical, 
scriptural ? We may calculate on three hours at 
least, betweelfi the closing of out-door work till early 
bedtime. How shall we spend these three precious 
hours % in what way ? where shall we go ? what shall 
we do ? The bright fire in the fireplace, grate, open 
stove, gives an air of cheerfulness and comfort to the 
family sitting-room. Are you fatigued with the labors 
of the day ? Is not this the place of all others to 
rest weary limbs or brain ? Do the cares of busi- 
ness press heavily upon you? Where may you 
throw them off if not here? where seek sympathy 
and counsel? Would you find relaxation and im- 
provement, at the same time, in familiar conver- 
sation ? What is more charming or more improving, 
to mind or heart, than the right kind of home- 
talk ? 

1* 



10 WINTER EVENINGS AT HOME. 

" Of all the spots that Heaven has blest, 

The dearest place is home ; 
'Tis there the fond heart loves to rest, 

And never loves to roam ; 
Whilst love plays round the smiling hearth, 
'Tis Heaven's own bliss enjoyed on earth." 

If you need rest and relaxation, take it, by all 
means, in the quiet of your own homes ; but with 
most of our readers, especially in the country, these 
long evenings should be seasons of intellectual, social, 
and moral activity. We have not been accustomed 
to put sufficient value upon home as a school, or 
to avail ourselves of half of its privileges. The 
work of education, in both the young and the 
old (for who is too old to learn?) should now be 
going on. 

The lamp burns brightly on the work-stand near 
the fire. Mother and the girls are busy with their 
knitting or sewing. What shall father and the boys 
do ? read to them ? What ? Have you a choice 
library ? Have you Baxter's Works, Hall's, Taylor's, 
Bunyan's, Wesley's, Fletcher's, Fuller's, Doddridge's ? 
Among the more recent productions, have you Fin- 
ney's Revival Sermons ? his works on Theology in one 
volume, octavo ? President Mahan's " True Be- 
liever ?" his " Moral and Intellectual Philosophy ?" 
the Works of Wm. Goodell ? the precious volumes of 
Madame Guyon ? Nelson on Infidelity ? " The Tongue 
of Fire ?" The soul should be first — " seek first the 



WINTER EVENINGS AT HOME. 11 

kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all other 
things will be added." 

How with your periodical reading, your weeklies 
and monthlies ? have you selected the precious from 
the vile ? Beware of the literary serpents. Never, 
never, allow them to cross your threshold ; never 
waste your energies on the merely imaginative or ficti- 
tious — read none but good books and papers — such as 
improve the mind and the heart. 

The little folks may occupy a little space at their 
lessons, in geography, history, botany, geology, 
agriculture ; in arithmetic, grammar, the use of the 
globes ; in pleasant, cheerful, edifying conversation. 
But the Bible, the blessed Bible — let this be first, 
midst, last, always. To wind up the family scene, a 
chapter in the Bible, a song of praise, and a season of 
prayer. 

This is a hint toward what we mean by the " home 
school " and " home education." Is there any thing 
repugnant in it ? Would not the whole family soon 
learn to enjoy and profit by such exercises ? 

Is not home, after all, the pleasantest, happiest, 
best place on earth ? If it is not, where lies the fault ? 
Have you not something to do with the matter ? Set 
yourselves at once, dear friends, about the work of 
making it so. Be you father or mother, son or daugh- 
ter, brother or sister, you are responsible, in greater 
or less degree, for the character and influence of home. 



12 WINTER EVENINGS AT HOME. 

" Summer is gone, the fair young flowers 
Have faded in their bloom, 
And the music of the fairy bowers 
Is hushed 'mid winter's gloom. 

" Our Summer life hath its winter too, 
And 'mid its waning bloom 
We wait that Spring, whose fadeless hue 
E'er glows beyond the tomb." 

But however pleasant home may be, one does not 
wish to remain always there. Our sympathies and 
wants extend beyond its beautiful and sacred, but 
narrow circle. Multitudes like to spend their even- 
ings abroad. Where shall we go ? Shall we visit 
the ball-room, the theatre, the opera, the gay party, 
the fashionable concert, the haunts of dissipation, 
the frolic and the dance ? 

11 On with the dance. Let joy be unconfined ; 
No sleep till morn, when youth and pleasure meet 
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet." 

Who that values time and considers the worth of 
the soul, can trifle thus ? 

" The character of many young men and women 
is decided for life by the way in which they spend 
their evenings when growing up to manhood and 
womanhood. Some young ladies think only of 
amusement, and contrive from week to week how 
they may secure a larger variety of pleasures, and 
bring to them a keener zest. Some young men find 
the monotony of home life dull and repulsive, and 



WINTER EVENINGS AT HOME. 13 

resort to the streets for companions, and to the 
drinking saloon and the theatre for pleasure. The 
first class generally grow up to lead frivolous lives, 
and the latter to a career of vice and shame." 

But where shall we go ? Go to the lyceum, the 
lecture room, the sanctuary — the house of prayer and 
praise. Go where you can walk with an unsullied 
conscience, where you can be benefitted, soul and 
body, mind and spirit. Go to places where you are 
not ashamed to take your wife, your sisters, your little 
ones. 

" Speak not of the mirth of the giddy crowd, 
In the halls of revelry found, 
For their reckless joke, and laughter loud 
Compare not with joys so sound. 

" Oh, give me the pious and happy home, 
Where the bond that unites is Love, 
Where the will of the Holy One is done, 
And His blessing sought from above I" 

How many precious hours are squandered by young 
persons at gay parties, soirees, depots, oyster saloons, 
beer shops, shoe shops, and other places of public re- 
sort, in senseless gabble, idle, frothy chit-chat, or 
something worse, which time might be profitably em- 
ployed at home, in reading good books and papers, 
the study of history, philosophy, geography, or chem- 
istry, or in attending useful lectures, the house of God, 
or meetings for prayer and praise ? " But ye have 



14 PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. 

set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my 
reproof. I also will laugh at your calamity, I will 
mock when your fear cometh." " Rejoice, O young 
man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the 
days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine 
heart, and in the sight of thine eyes : but know thou, 
that for all these things God will bring thee into 
judgment." " For God shall bring every work into 
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good 
or whether it be evil." 

" I would not waste my spring of youth 
In idle dalliance ; I would plant rich seeds, 
To blossom in my manhood, and bear fruit 
When I am old." 



PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. 

Tell me not of garbled sermons — 

Elegance of thought and style ; 
Heard from out your modern pulpits, 

Man from error to beguile. 
Eloquence may charm the fancy, 

Summon an admiring crowd, 
Who surround the gifted preacher 

With their praises long and loud ; 
But if God's appointed servants 

Would their hearers' conscience reach, 
Leading them to paths of wisdom, 

They must practice what they preach. 



SOCIAL PARTIES. 15 



SOCIAL PARTIES. 

We learn that ministers and church officers in some 
places, are encouraging social or neighborhood parties 
— recommending the members of their charge to meet 
occasionally, and spend an evening in friendly chit- 
chat, have a supper, perhaps wind up with an inno- 
cent game of some kind, to promote a more general 
sociability and friendly intercourse. 

Sociability is a good thing — we admire it, but we 
would respectfully ask, if there is not a better and 
more scriptural way of promoting social and friendly 
feeling, among the people ? Why not appoint a 
weekly meeting in every church, on holiness, entire 
sanctification, the higher Christian life. We know 
of no better or surer waji to promote sociability, 
friendship, love, and Christian union. Nothing binds 
God's people so closely and firmly in the bonds of 
affection and love, as the baptism of the Holy Spirit 
— the tongue of fire. This spirit, too, will banish all 
trifling, levity, foolish talking, and jesting so common 
at many of these social parties. 

It will also heal all divisions, backslidings, heart- 
burnings, roots of bitterness, all envyings and evil- 
speakings. Besides it will qualify for active service, 
spiritual labor, holy zeal, self-sacrifice in the cause of 
God, in the salvation of souls. 



16 SOCIAL PARTIES. 

These meetings for holiness, in our view, are infin- 
itely superior to mere social parties, tea parties, pic- 
nics, soirees, oyster suppers, and holiday feastings, to 
increase and perpetuate sociability. We should re- 
joice to see them established in every church in the 
land — then hope would dawn and angels tune their 
harps afresh, " Glory to God in the highest.' 5 O, how 
numerous are the devices of Satan ! How devilishly 
artful is he in decoying us from the path of duty, in 
cheating our souls, and making us hew out to our- 
selves cisterns that hold no water. 

If these parties are not promotive of holy living, of 
advancement in the divine life, evil tendencies are 
sure to follow. " What is not of faith is sin." Christ 
attended social parties, so did the early disciples. But 
how was the time occupied at these social gatherings 
— in feasting to excess, in light-mindedness, in frivol- 
ity, in " foolish talking or jesting, which are not con- 
venient," in "words to no profit"? Did they sit 
down to eat and drink and rise up to play ? 

The early Christians associated, held religious fes- 
tivals with the view of cultivating mutual affection 
and friendly intercourse among each other. The en- 
tertainment was prepared by the richer members, to 
which the poor were invited. There they testified 
their love by mutual acts of kindness, all partaking 
of the same plain, simple, wholesome fare ; meanwhile 
liberally supplying the necessities of the indigent. 



SOCIAL PARTIES. 17 

Concerning these feasts of charity, Pliny gives an 
account in a letter to the Emperor Trajan : — " Their 
practice is," says he, " to meet before day, and sing a 
hymn to Christ, and bind themselves by a solemn 
oath to do no wickedness. These things performed, 
they separate, and meet again to partake of a com- 
mon and innocent meal." Their conversation mean- 
while, was such as became the gospel of Christ, being 
sanctified by the word of God and prayer. To glorify 
God, in their bodies and in their spirits, was upper- 
most invariably, from first to last. 

Tertullian, in his Apology for the Christians, allud- 
ing to the same fact, says, " We Christians look upon 
ourselves as one body, actuated, as it were, by one 
soul. When, therefore, we are at the charge of an 
entertainment, it is to refresh the bowels of the 
needy. We feed the hungry, because we know that 
God takes a peculiar delight in seeing us do it. 
Nothing earthly or impure has any admittance. Our 
souls ascend to God before we sit down to eat. We 
eat only what suffices nature. We sup like servants 
who know that w r e may awake in the night to the 
service of the Master ; and we discourse as those who 
recollect that God hears them. When supper is 
ended, every one is invited forth to sing praises to 
God. As we begin, so we conclude, all with prayer, 
and depart with the same degree of temperance we 
came." 



18 SOCIAL PARTIES. 

Are the social gatherings at the present day thus in 
accordance with gospel purity and order % thus pro- 
motive of singleness of heart, of Christian benevolence, 
of entire consecratedness to God and his service ? 
Are they a means of grace, do they promote a spirit 
of prayer, of holy living, stimulate to acts of self- 
denial, in spreading divine light ? If so, the Lord 
speed them, multiply them. Christ says, " When 
thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the 
lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they 
cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recom- 
pensed at the resurrection of the just." " Whether 
therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all 
to the glory of God." 

" Whatever dims thy sense of truth, 
Or stains thy purity, 
Tho' slight as breath of summer air, 
Count it as sin to thee." 

The time was when religion was to be exterminated 
by the sword, the faggot, and the inquisition : but in 
the XlXth century a more successful plan has been 
adopted. The spirit of compromise is now at work. 
Satan transforms himself. The church and the world 
shake hands — laudable objects will justify any means. 
A fancy fair, soir6e, tea party, or a raffling match 
may be gotten up with much propriety if a church 
debt is to be paid, or a donation party, characterized 
by all the folly of a whole night's revelling at the 



NEVER HOLD MALICE. 19 

parsonage, if the proceeds are only given to the min- 
ister ; secret combinations — professors and sinners, 
may exhibit all the folly imaginable with gorgeous 
expense of regalia, public dinners, etc. ; while many 
honest debts are unpaid, and many poor are starving 
for bread ; yet this is all sanctified by offering prayer 
at commencement, and taking along the Bible. The 
end sanctifies the means ! 



NEVER HOLD MALICE. 

Oh, never hold malice ; it cannot be good, 
For 'tis nobler to strike in the rush of hot blood 
Than to bitterly cherish the name of a foe, 
Wait to sharpen a weapon, and measure a blow. 
The wild dog in hunger — the wolf in its spring — 
The shark of the waters — the asp with its sting — 
Are less to be feared than the vengeance of man, 
When it lieth in secret to wound when it can. 

Oh, never hold malice ; dislike if you will, 
Yet remember, humanity linketh us still ; 
We are all of us human, and all of us erring, 
And mercy within us should ever be stirring. 
Shall we dare to look up to the Father above 
With petitions for pardon, or pleadings for love ? 
Shall we dare while we pant for revenge on another, 
To ask from a God, yet deny to a brother ? — Sel. 



20 MEETINGS FOR HOLINESS OB 



MEETINGS FOR HOLINESS OR THE HIGHER 
CHRISTIAN LIFE. 

11 'Tis not high power that makes a place divine, 
Nor that the men from gods derive their line ; 
But sacred thoughts in holy bosoms stored, 
Make people noble and the place adored." 

These social gatherings for spiritual elevation, for 
rising higher and higher, shining brighter and brighter 
unto the perfect day, are held in various places both 
in New York City and in Brooklyn, with increasing 
interest and edification. No meetings for worship 
are attended with more direct and special indications 
of Divine acceptance. The atmosphere is heavenly, 
life-giving, soul-kindling. Most of these social inter- 
views for the higher life in holiness are on the Chris- 
tian union principle. 

" To sect or party the large soul 
Disdains to be confined, 
The good he loves, of every name, 
And prays for all mankind." 

No questions are asked w 7 hether you are a Baptist, 
Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Quaker, Jew 
or Gentile — all are one in Christ Jesus. Any one 
has perfect liberty to rise, speak, request prayers, re- 
late the dealings of God with himself, drop a word of 
exposition, exhortation, explanation, consolation ; pour 
out his soul in prayer and praise, give God glory, if 



THE HIGHER CHRISTIAN LIFE. 21 

so be special reference is had to brevity, definiteness, 
and condensation. No one has a right to engross the 
time which properly belongs to another. 

These meetings are not for debate, controversy, or 
speechifying — but for Holiness. Eyery one that en- 
ters these consecrated halls, is expected to conform 
strictly to the objects and purport of the meeting. 
Such is the nature, exercise, and spirit of these social 
gatherings, we feel assured that even the skeptic, the 
subtle caviler, disputer, or objector, will be con- 
strained on most occasions to exclaim, " The finger 
of God is in it." 

If ever sectarianism is fully banished from this 
earth, it must be through the spirit of Bible holiness, 
the love of God shed abroad in the soul. All our de- 
nunciations against this giant evil will avail very little, 
comparatively, until God's spirit scatters it to the 
four winds ! In these blessed interviews w T e hear 
very few allusions to sects, party views, or denomina- 
tionalisms. The Bible, the blessed Bible is the text 
book, and we rejoice at this noble liberality and ear- 
nest adherence to Christian union and fellowship — 
" There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are 
called with one hope of your calling." " By one 
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we 
are Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free ; 
and have all been made to dripk into one Spirit." 

The good influence of these meetings has gone out 



22 MEETINGS FOR HOLINESS OR 

not only in this city, but in other cities and states in 
the Union. The voice has sounded across the Atlantic, 
on, and on ! Every attempt to stop this current of 
purity and love, to crush out this blessed doctrine of 
holiness, and put down those who have stood at the 
helm, has proved futile. The opposition and persecu- 
tion in every instance have recoiled upon the opposer 
and caviller. " In the net they hid, is their own foot 
taken." As soon attempt to strike out the sun, the 
glorious orb of day ! As soon attempt to dethrone 
the Almighty, as the doctrine of holiness. We regret 
to say, the most determined, bitter, and virulent op- 
position to these meetings fand the cause advocated 
here, has not arisen from the world, but from those 
professing Godliness, in high stations. 

Friends, the gates of hell can not prevail against 
this doctrine of the Bible — the more it is opposed, 
the more it will prevail, like fire in the bones. It is 
dear to God as the apple of his eye. We need it, you 
need it — the church needs this holy baptism, this 
tongue of fire ; ministers need it, the officers of the 
church, elders, deacons, class leaders, every member ; 
the church can never rise and shine without it " clear 
as the sun, fair as the moon, terrible as an army with 
banners." The church can never prevail without it 
— chain Satan to the bottomless pit. 

Intemperance, Sabbath desecration, infidelity, li- 
centiousness, oppression, and every evil, can never be 



THE HIGHER CHRISTIAN LIFE. 23 

put down without more of the spirit of holiness, the 
breathings of the apostolical, the tongue of fire — the 
baptism of the Holy Spirit. Holiness, individual and 
general, in the church of every name, is what is want- 
ing, power with God. Let holiness prevail, the cause 
of God prevails — sinners bow the knee, millennial 
glory dawns. 

No more will converts then be few, 
But numerous as the drops of dew, 
Which silently distilled at night, 
Are brought to view by morning lights 
A host to charm our raptured sight, 
And fill the earth with glory bright 



TO A FRIEND. 

Creeds may grow old, and systems decay, 

And theories be lost forever ; 
Wealth may depart, and fly in a day, 

But friendship that's true, dieth never. 

Time passeth by, and yesterday's grave 
Buries all that the present may sever, 

But above the falling and fallen doth wave 

The motto, " Friendship that's true, dieth never." 

Eternity 's dear, and hope spreads its wings, 
Life brightens, and seems a rich treasure, 

When the Angel of Peace broods o'er me and sings : 
" Love, Friendship, and Truth last forever." 



24 EARLY RTSTNO; OR, 

EARLY RISISG; OR, MARY AT THE SAVIOURS TOMB. 

" Wake while yet the sparkling dew-drops 

Gem each floweret's tiny bell— * 

While the joyous woodlaud warblers, 
Loud their grateful chorus swell- 
Kneel with calm and thankful spirit, 
Kneel and breathe thy morning prayer." 

The morning air, how sweet, delicious, charming ! 
No season is so precious, so sacred, so well calculated 
for reading, composing, meditating, prayer, and 
praise. Hail, lovely morning, precursor of a brighter 
day. 

'• Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, 
With charm of earliest birds ; pleasant the sun 
When first on this delightful land he spreads 
' - His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, 
Glistening with dew." 

Friends, are you aware how much you lose by 
dozing away the precious season of early dawn ! 
rooming air adds brightness to the blood, freshness to 
life, and vigor to the whole frame. " The freshness 
of the lip is one of the surest signs of health. 
Would you be well, enjoy health, life, vigor of soul 
and body? have your heart dance joyfully like the 
April breeze, and your blood flowing like an April 
brook « Up with the lark I inhale the pure sweets of 
early dawn. Breakfast on the morning air fresh with 
the odor of budding flowers, and all the fragrance ot 



MARY AT THE SAVIOUR'S TOMB. 25 

the maiden spring. Up ! wake up ere the glorioas 
king of day streak the east. 

" Up I rise up and see 
The dew-spangled herb and tree. 
Ye who would couple labor and health, 
Must begin at an early hour." 

It is remarkable what numerous examples we have 
of early rising in the Scriptures. Let any one take a 
Concordance and look out the passages where it is 
mentioned, and he will be surprised at their number. 
Are not such examples binding on Christians ? on all ? 
Abraham arose up early in the morning to offer sac- 
rifice ; " early will I seek Thee," said the Psalmist. 
" Shall not Christians early rise to pay their vows 
unto God ?" " Very early in the morning " the holy 
women came to the sepulchre to embalm the Saviour ; 
and shall not His disciples seek their risen Lord early 
in the day ! Christian ! when are you most apt to 
neglect prayer, or perform it hastily or unprofitably ? 
Is it not when you omit early rising ? When are you 
most prone to neglect reading the Bible, or peruse its 
sacred pages negligently ? Is it not when you act the 
sluggard, and waste precious hours in repose ? At 
what season do you peruse God's word with delight, 
and call upon his name with fervor ? Is it not when 
you early rise to pay your sacrifice? Nature, then, 
as well as Scripture, indicates the value of the morn- 
ing for religious meditation, reading, and prayer. 

2 



26 EARLY RISING ; OR, 

" Nature herself ever shows her best 

Of gems to the gaze of the lark, 
When the spangles of light on Earth's green breast 

Put out the stars of the dark. 
If we love the purest pearl of the dew, 

And the rich breath of the flower, 
If our spirits would greet the fresh and the sweet, 

Go forth in the early hour." 

To rise early we must retire early, lie down with a 
pure conscience. 

Ask God to give his angels special charge over us 
during our unconscious moments. 

" The angel of the Lord encampeth round about 
them that fear him, and delivereth them." Psa. xxxiv. 7. 

Finally, retire in faith, sleep on faith, rise up on 
faith, go about doing good all the time on faith. 

It is said of John Wesley, the holy reformer, that 
he never lost a good night's rest, after consecrating 
himself entirely to God's service. His habits were 
regular. He had a stated time for retiring and rising. 
To these regulations he adhered with persevering, 
conscientious scrupulosity. He was strictly " tem- 
perate in all things." Almost as soon as his head 
struck the pillow, he was lost in a calm, sweet, re- 
freshing slumber, till God opened his eyes before the 
dawn ; when he immediately arose to praise Him, 
and fight the good fight of faith. Thus he did till 
God said to him, " Come up higher." 

" I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep ; for 
thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." Psa. iv. 8. 



MARY AT THE SAVIOURS TOMB. 27 

All the most eminently distinguished for elevated 
piety and usefulness have been early risers. The 
Lord Jesus, our great Exemplar, not only spent whole 
nights in prayer, but, also, " in the morning rising up 
a great while before day, he went out, and departed 
into a solitary place, and there prayed." See Mark, 
i.-xxv. — and no doubt this was his frequent custom. 
Mark, too, those who first visited the tomb of our 
blessed Lord. Who were they ? what the hour of 
this visitation ? before the dawn, " while it was yet 
dark." Their souls were kindled, lighted up in a 
flame most holy. 

Behold, the Marys at the sepulchre of Jesus as it 
began to dawn, towards the first day of the week." 
. . . . " And the angel answered and said unto the 
women, Fear not ye ; for I know that ye seek Jesus, 
who was crucified. He is not here : for he is risen as 
he said. Come see the place where the Lord lay." 
Matt, xxviii. 5, 6. 

11 Mary to the Saviour's tomb 

Hasted at the early dawn ; 
Spice she brought and sweet perfume, 

But the Lord she loved had gone. 
Trembling, while a crystal flood 

Issued from her weeping eyes. 
For awhile she lingering stood, 

Filled with sorrow and surprise. w 



28 HONESTY IN BUYING AND SELLING. 



HONESTY IN BUYING AND SELLING. 

u Who is the honest man ? — 
He that doth still, and strongly, good pursue ; 
To God, his neighbor, and himself; most true ; 

"Whom neither force nor fawning can 
Unpin, or wrench from giving all their due." 

Honest ? Yes, every inch of liim honest as the 
day is long. Honest within, honest without. He is 
the very picture of honesty. His whole contour in- 
dicates honesty, every thought, look, act, moving 
muscle. His honesty shines, beams forth, looms up. 
No one ever suspects him of dishonesty, or his de- 
frauding in weights or measures. He gives his cus- 
tomers good articles, the very best, and good measure, 
pressed down, running over. This man is known 
abroad for his honesty. His customers are constantly 
increasing from the fact he is honest, and deals hon- 
estly. The truth is, it is more safe and pleasant for 
every one to deal with an honest man, than to deal 
with a rogue. 

This honest man of whom we are now speaking, 
needs no public advertising in the dailies or weeklies. 

The expense of advertising is saved, his honesty is 
the best advertisement, read and known of all men. 
Honesty, or being honest — strictly upright in all busi- 
ness transactions — is the best and cheapest way of ad- 
vertising. Honesty is always the best policy, and a 



HONESTY IN BUYING AND SELLING. 29 

truly honest man in the sight of God, one that pro- 
vides things honest in the sight of all men, is the no- 
blest work of God. 

Reader, beloved, do you wish to prosper in things 
temporal and eternal, be happy here, happy forever ? 
to have a conscience void of offence ? lie down and 
sleep sweetly and refreshingly ? — be honest, live hon- 
estly, deal honestly, provide things honest in the sight 
of all men. Tell the truth, the whole truth, and noth- 
ing but the truth. " Buy the truth and sell it not, 
also wisdom, instruction, and understanding." 

" Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a 
just bin shall ye have. I am the Lord your God." 
Lev. xix. 36. 

" To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to 
the Lord than sacrifice." 

Do justice — 'tis thy God's command, 

The mandate of thy King ; 
Be prompt in rendering dues to all, 
And let no fraud spot, great or small, 

Unto thy conscience cling. 

In penning the foregoing, our eye was definitely on 
the beloved Samuel Wilde, now in glory. He died, 
as he lived, in peace. " Precious in the sight of the 
Lord is the death of his saints." " The righteous are 
had in everlasting remembrance." 

" Some angel guide my pen, while I draw, 
What nothing else than angel can exceed, — 
A man on earth devoted to the skies." 



30 HONESTY IK BUYING AND SELLING. 

Friends, is it your desire to die as this good man 
died ? Then live as he lived. Be honest in your 
business transactions ; deal justly with all men ; pay 
all dues, even the smallest. Make conscience of strict 
punctuality in little things. Promise not a farthing 
without liquidation at the very time. Pay off your 
bills, little ones and great ones. " Owe no man any- 
thing but love." 

Yery many go on nettles all the time, restless, con- 
science-searedly, simply from little aberrations, small 
deviations in business matters. " The little foxes de- 
stroy the tender vines." 

" A little theft, a small deceit, 
Too often leads to more." 

" He that is faithful in that which is least, is faith- 
ful also in much ; and he that is unjust in the least, 
is unjust also in much." 

" Little things — aye, little things, 
Make up the sum of life." 

Are you an honest man ? Not if you are living 
beyond your means, borrowing money wherever you 
can, with no good prospect of repaying it ; in other 
words, preparing for an assignment, by which you 
will pay ten, twenty, or fifty cents on a dollar to your 
creditors. 

You are not honest if you have placed your prop 
erty out of your hands to avoid paying your debts, 



HONESTY IN BUYING AND SELLING. 31 

and are living in luxury while many a poor man and 
woman, whom you owe, is toiling hard to procure the 
bare necessaries of life. 

You are not, if you are habitually practising frauds 
in your daily business, either by asking exorbitant 
prices, by giving a poorer article than you have con- 
tracted for, or represent it to be, or by any low, mean 
arts, deceiving those with whom you deal. 

You are not an honest man if you can not fearlessly 
look every man in the face and say, " I am not 
wronging you by word or deed ; I am in no way 
taking advantage of your weakness, ignorance, or ne- 
cessities ; I make no unfair concealments, make no 
untrue statements, and in nowise do by you, in my 
business transactions, as I would not be done by." 

Once more we say, you are not an honest man if you 
use a short yard-stick, " false weights and measures." 

" A false balance is an abomination to the Lord ; 
but a just weight is his delight." 

" Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor." 

" A righteous man hateth lying, but a wicked man 
is loathsome and cometh to shame.' Prov. xiii. 15. 

Resolve from this hour forward to be an honest 
man. Remember that God's eye is upon you in the 
shop, the counting-room, the crowded street, and that 
he holds you accountable for every deed done in these 
places of business, " whether it be good or whether it 
be evil." 



32 I MISS THEE, MY MOTHER. 

Examine yourself, therefore, as in the sight of God, 
and, if found guilty, " Repent, and turn yourself from 
all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your 
ruin." 

11 Theft will not be always hidden, 
Though we fancy none can spy ; 
When we take a thing forbidden, 
God beholds it with his eye." 



I MISS THEE, MY MOTHER. 

I miss thee, my mother ! thy image is still 

The deepest impressed on my heart ; 
And the tablet so faithful in death must be chill, 

Ere a line of that image depart. 
Thou wert torn from my side when I treasured thee 
most, 

"When my reason could measure thy worth ; 
When I knew but too well that the idol I'd lost 

Could never be replaced upon earth. 

I miss thee, my mother ! when young health has fled, 

And I think in the languor of pain, 
Where, where is the arm that once pillowed my head, 

And the ear that once heard me complain ? 
Other hands may support, gentle accents may fall, 

For the fond and the true are yet mine ; 
I've a blessing for each — I am grateful to all — 

But, my mother, no love is like thine. 



THE PRIDE OP FASHION. 33 



THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 

" If self must oe denied, 

And sin no more caressed, 
They rather choose the way that's wide, 
And strive to think it best." 

The fashions— follow the fashions ? Why not ? 
No matter how expensive, foolish, absurd, despotic, 
ridiculous, ruinous to body, mind or soul, take the 
popular course — follow the fashion, in the church and 
out of it. No matter whether the bonnet is trimmed 
with white, black, blue, red, or scarlet, turned up or 
turned down, on the back side of the head or on the 
front side, stuck on the forehead or the back of the 
neck, all right — it looks beautiful ! 

" Time was when women bonnets wore 
Projecting half a yard before ; 
When beauty was thus hidden deep, 
'Twas something e'en to get a peep: 
But now, woman's fickle mind ! 
They wear their bonnets all behind ; 
While men their features hide with hair, 
The ladies go with faces bare, 
And fancy all admire who stare ! 
So this will pass in history's page 
As lovely women's barefaced age 1" 

No matter whether the dress be long or short, 

hooped or not hooped, Bloomer or not Bloomer, up 

to the knee or trailing in the mud and dirt, so be it 

is in the fashion. Is it fashionable to wear tight 

2* 



34 THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 

shoes, pinching the feet and toes ? wear them — corns er 
no corns, all the same. Is it fashionable to wear jew- 
elry ? wear it — on the breast, the arms, the fingers, in 
the ears, rings from one to four on each finger — ear- 
rings, large and showy — necklaces, two or three in 
number, with hearts and crosses dependent from the 
same — bracelets, casing the arms half way to the 
elbow — a minute watch affixed to the waist, and 
moored to the neck with a golden cable — a world of 
little knick-knacks, called " charms." 

All right, on with them, cost or no cost, Bible or 
no Bible — it's the fashion. If a dress or shawl cost 
fifty, a hundred, or two hundred dollars, instead of 
five or ten, on with it, bankruptcy or no bankruptcy 
— it's the fashion — we'll go it, sink or swim. 

If high-crowned hats are in vogue, wear them — if 
low, low. If short brims, wear short brims — if long, 
long. If bob-tailed coats are the cut of the day, wear 
bob-tailed coats — if long, long. If stocks to choke the 
neck, and high collars become popular, buckle them 
on, tight as a drum-head, breath or no breath, bron- 
chitis or no bronchitis, all the same. If the fashion 
comes round to wear long beards and moustaches, 
cover the face, chin, upper lip, and lower lip, stop the 
mouth, look like a beast, a bear, a wolf, a goat, or an 
owl ! All right, minister or no minister, church- 
members, deacons, class-leaders, all the same — it's the 
fashion, it's beautiful ! 



THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 35 

Is it fashionable to write, puff, and read novels, go 
to the theatre, the dance, and play the fiddle ? follow 
the wake. " On with the dance, let joy be uncon- 
fined." It is the fashion. 

If it is fashionable to pay five, ten, twenty, or a 
hundred dollars for a ticket to hear Jenny Lind sing 
in a theatre or a church, to fill Barnum's pockets, 
hurrah for Jenny Lind, hurrah ! On they go, minis- 
ters and people — it's the fashion, it's popular ! 

Is it fashionable to make holiday feasts, New Tear's 
calls, load the tables and side boards with wines, cor- 
dials, rich dainties, poisonous confectioneries, eat, 
drink, gormandize, play the glutton, the drunkard, 
and starve the poor ? Go ahead, it's the fashion — no 
matter, all right ! " Like priest, like people." Is it 
fashionable to hold fancy fairs, tea-parties, soirees, 
oyster suppers, pic-nics, etc., to raise money to sustain 
the pastor, pay off church debts, cushion the pulpit, 
etc., have a jolly time of it, eat and drink to the full, 
return home before the morning dawns — no matter, 
let us do evil that good may come. Sometimes, also, 
sinners, men of the world, have balls, dancing parties, 
etc., for the benefit of the poor, the widows, and the 
orphans, on the same principle — it's the fashion. 
Money we want — money we will have. 

" Fashion rules the world, and a most tyrannical 
mistress she is, compelling people to submit to the 
most inconvenient thing imaginable, for fashion's sake. 



36 THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 

She pinches our feet with tight shoes, or chokes us 
with a tight handkerchief, or squeezes the breath out 
of our body by tight lacing. 

" She makes people sit up at nights when they 
ought to be in bed, and keeps them in bed in the 
morning when they ought to be up and doing. 

" She makes it vulgar to wait on ourselves, and 
genteel to live idle and useless. 

" She makes people visit when they would rather 
stay at home, eat when they are not hungry, and 
drink when they are not thirsty. 

" She invades our pleasure and interrupts our busi- 
ness. 

" She compels people to dress gayly, whether upon 
their property or that of others ; whether agreeable to 
the word of God or the dictates of pride. 

" She ruins health and produces sickness, destroys 
life and occasions death. 

" She makes foolish parents, invalids of children, 
and servants of all. 

" She is a tormentor of conscience, despoiler of 
morality, an enemy of religion, and no one can be her 
companion and enjoy either. 

" She is a despot of the highest grade, full of in- 
trigue and cunning ; and yet husbands, wives, fathers, 
mothers, sons, daughters, and servants, black and 
white, voluntarily have become her obedient servants 



THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 37 

and slaves, and vie with one another to see who shall 
be most obsequious." 

Dr. Edward Dixon, in " The Natural History of 
Crime," asks, " Is it saying more than can be sub- 
stantiated, that our national taste for low and unin- 
tellectual adornment is the cause of half the dishonest 
failures, half the divorces, elopements, and crimes of 
a more secret and revolting character, that occur in 
our cities." 

There is no truth more firmly established among 
medical men, than that disease follows fashion as much 
as bonnets do. When thin slippers prevail, consump- 
tion is the prevailing epidemic with females in every 
fashionable community in the country. When the 
low-necked dresses are in the ascendant, sore throat 
and quinsy are the raging maladies. When " bustles" 
and " bishops" made their appearance, spinal affec- 
tions became " the ton." The reign of corsets is de- 
noted by collapsed lungs, dyspepsia, and a general 
derangement of the digestive organs. Indeed, so in- 
timately are dress and disease connected, that an 
eminent and skillful doctor says, that all he needs to 
determine of what a majority of the fashionable wo 
men are dying, is to have an inventory of their ward 
robe handed to him. 

If there is any one fashion more cruel and absurd 
than another, it is that of making little girls' dresses 
and skirts to be worn entirely off from the shoulder. 



38 THE PRIDE OF FASHION. 

One can not meet a child whose mother is more fash- 
ionable than wise, without feeling distressed for the 
efforts of the little one to use its arms, and constant 
shrugging of the shoulders, to give one or the other a 
little liberty. 

This fashion undoubtedly does much to cause the 
almost universal deformity of shoulders observable in 
women. 

And is there no other evil attendant on this loose 
mode of dressing, save ill-health and personal deform- 
ity ? Take from a lovely girl modesty, virtuous 
purity, a sense of female delicacy, and what remains ? 

" "Whatever dims thy sense of truth 
Or stains thy purity, 
Tho' slight as breath of summer air, 
Count it as sin to thee." 



11 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may he long upon 
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." — Exod. xx. 12. 

Honor thy parents, those that gave thee birth, 
And watched in tenderness thine earliest days, 
And trained thee up in youth, and loved in all. 
Honor, obey, and love them ; it shall till 
Their souls with holy joy, and shall bring down 
God's richest blessing on thee ; and in days 
To come, thy children, if they are given, 
Shall honor thee ; and fill thy life with peace. 



SOCIAL MEETINGS. 39 



SOCIAL MEETINGS FOR WORSHIP, 

For prayer, praise, conference, holiness, are good, 
excellent, interestingly so — but might they not be 
vastly more interesting, profitable, edifying, electrify- 
ing, were concentration of thought adhered to defin- 
itely / point, pith, the bringing every subject to a 
definite, positive, earnest, burning focus, without 
dwelling on mere circumstantials, things common- 
place, of small moment, the mere scaffoldings — 
repeating and ^-repeating? How frequently do 
6ome persons occupy the floor with continued and 
protracted pauses, prefaces, circumlocutions, stale, 
threadbare recitals, monopolizing the time justly due 
to the meeting ! And this same prolongation of 
common-place recitals goes on from day to day, from 
week to week, till the bones and sinews of every one 
present fairly ache — cry out for deliverance ! How 
many precious souls might be refreshed during this 
monopoly. Suppose the time occupied by one good 
brother, is occupied by some four or six individuals 
on fire, energized by the Holy Spirit — opening their 
lips wide for God, giving merely the outlines in a 
condensed, graphic form, the cream, the essence of a 
gospel experience ; and suppose, moreover, this sarmj 
brevity and hallowed fire go on and on, till all pre- 
sent shall have witnessed for Christ, pointedly, con- 



40 SOCIAL MEETINGS. 

densedly, soul-kindlingly — what now ? Would not 
every brother and sister say amen — go away re- 
freshed, strengthened, joyful? Who can calculate 
the vast difference between ten and thirty testimonies 
in an hour? The one is life, the other death ? 

The wisest, the best, the holiest men congratulate 
heartily the rules adopted in our Union meetings 
everywhere ; in Boston, Hartford, New York, Phila- 
delphia, Cincinnati. 

President C. G. Finney in his protracted efforts in 
Boston, resorted to this brevity, condensation, soul- 
kindling, life-giving, fire, flint, and hammer process 
in the. conference-room, for experience, exhortation, 
testimony, prayer, and praise. Necessity was laid 
upon him. Suppose the floor had been given up, as 
formerly, to a few stereotyped formalists, cold as an 
iceberg, to speak and pray all over the world and 
back again, without let or hindrance — where now the 
holy fire, the streams of overflowing salvation ? O 
where ? 

Allusion was made, on one occasion, to a social 
meeting for religious worship, of special interest and 
profit, of life and power. The question arose, what 
made it thus one of the best? The problem was 
solved instantly, clear as the noon-day sun. Every 
one spoke to the point, prayed to the point, kept 
to the point, said what he had to say and stopped. 
There were no long pauses, long readings, long sing- 



SOCIAL MEETINGS. 41 

ings, long prayers, long speeches, prefaces, or circum- 
locutions ; no dwelling on minor points or mere com- 
mon-place things. Every one spoke, as the Spirit 
gave utterance, the overflowings of the soul. The 
testimonies were brief, condensed, forcible, life-giving. 
No time was lost, everything was done " decently 
and in order." New references, new hopes, present 
things, were delineated. There was no monopolizing 
— every one seemed to look not on his own things 
merely, but every one also on the things of others. 
Benevolence reigned. God's glory was kept con- 
stantly in view. 

This brevity and condensation in prayer and testi- 
mony, this point, pith, and marrow in the soul's Titter- 
ings, gave opportunity for a great variety and fre- 
quency of testimony. Thus heavenly sparks kindled 
on every side till every one present desiring to wit- 
ness for God did so, consequently the meeting was a 
good one, full of deep interest, life, spirit, power, soul- 
kindling. Every one left strengthened, edified, built 
up, rejoicingly. Meetings conducted thus graphi- 
cally, benevolently, in the spirit and wisdom of God, 
tell on time, on eternity. Unbelievers also take 
knowledge that God is present of a truth. 

A child of God, meek, modest, humble, child-like, 
on fire with the Holy Spirit, pouring in truth flam- 
ingly, always interests and edifies. Furthermore thus 
alive to God and his cause, he exercises prudence, 



42 SOCIAL MEETINGS. 

forethought, benevolence, and mercy. It is a part of 
his religion not to trespass on the rights of others. 
He is compassionately tender of the feelings of others, 
willing to make sacrifices for the good of his brethren. 
Wisdom is not about to die with him. ' A word to 
the wise is sufficient.' 

" This is the sum of every part, 
To love our God with all our heart; 
That we should love our neighbor too, 
And what we wish from him should do. 

*Tis short, and sweet, and good, and plain, 
Easy to learn and to retain ; 
May grace divine our souls renew, 
And 'twill be sweet to practice too. 



CQO* 



God, give us men. A time like this demands 

Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands; 

Men whom the lust of office does not kill ; 

Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy ; 

Men who possess opinions and a will ; 

Men who have honor — men who will not lie ; 

Men who can stand before a demagogue 

And scorn his treacherous flatteries without winking ; 

Tall men sun-crowned, who live above the fog 

In public duty, and in private thinking — 

For while the marble, with their thumb-worn creeds 

Their large professions and their little deeds, 

Mingle in selfish strife, lo ! Freedom weeps, 

Wrong rules the land, and waiting Justice keeps. 



MOURNING APPAREL. 43 

MOUMItfG APPAREL. 

On this subject we have freely expressed our views. 
Again we ask the question : Why purchase mourning 
apparel % Why wear it ? Why follow this fashion ? 
Is it wise, consistent, Christian ? Is it any real ex- 
pression of grief for the loss of our friends, any mark 
of respect? Does it impart any consolation to the 
bosom of sorrow ? or convey any religious instruction 
to the mind or heart ? does it cause mourning and 
humility for sin, or submission to God ? 

On the contrary, are there not many and positive 
evils attendant ? — a few of which let us here consider : 

1. Is it not an unnecessary and extravagant ex- 
penditure ? 

2. Does not the custom lead the poor to ape the 
rich ? Is it not a temptation to pride, dishonesty, and 
hypocrisy ? Has k not robbed the widow and the 
fatherless and the creditor of their just dues ? 

3. It also diverts attention from the voice of the 
Almighty in his chastening and instructive provi- 
dences. 

4. It would be better to use the value of it in the 
cause of benevolence. 

5. It occupies the mind and hands trivially in that 
solemn period which is peculiarly favorable for reflec- 
tion, meditation, and prayer. 

6. The custom of wearing mourning apparel is 



44 MOURNING APPAREL. 

heathenish ; there is no just, reasonable, or scriptural 
authority for it. Weep for the loss of a dear friend, 
a parent, a wife, a brother, a sister, one dear to us as 
our life ? Certainly, we may. Nature itself demands 
our tears — they are sent in mercy by Him who wept 
at the grave of Lazarus. The " Man of sorrows," 
himself, taught us to weep. It is a privilege, a feast, 
to give vent to the tenderest feelings of the heart. 
Tears are commendable at such a time. But do not, 
friends, we beseech you, follow an absurd, supersti- 
tious custom, a relic of heathenism*, that confers no 
benefit on the dead, affords no consolation to the liv- 
ing, or any good whatever. 

The loss of near and dear friends often proves a 
blessing, is sanctified to our spiritual good, when 
rightly improved : seasons of mourning, therefore, 
should be employed in humiliation, confession, resti- 
tution, self-examination, and p/ayer-^in serious and 
godly conversation, touching ts mortality, our future 
state, death, judgment, eternity ; and nothing calcu- 
lated to divert our time or attention from these solemn 
and momentous subjects, should be suffered for a mo- 
ment. 

" The house of mourning is better than the house 
of feasting." 

Dr. Butler, of Trinity Church, in a recent discourse, 
spoke strongly against the wearing of mourning ap- 
parel, announcing his " decided objection to the prac- 



MOURNING APPAKEL. 45 

tice." " You will permit me," he said, " with all 
respect to the sentiments of others, to utter my very 
long and matured convictions upon it. Its evils seem 
to me to be manifold. It looks like a uniform of or- 
ganized rebellion against the providence of God. I 
sheds gloom over the streets, through the churches, 
and in the house. It creates an impression in the 
world of absence of comfort and consolation. It helps 
to perpetuate sorrow, when the Christian duty is to 
cultivate peace and joy." 

Another excellent Christian minister remarks : — 

1. Such a custom never originated with Christian- 
ity ; nor was it sanctioned or enjoined by it, and is, 
therefore, not obligatory on Christians. 

2. It is more like the self-imposed penance of 
Catholics and Pagans than the beautiful, plain, and 
unostentatious adorning required under the gospel. 

3. Its tendency is to bewilder the mind and unfit 
the person for contemplation and reflection — things 
always necessary, so that the bereavement may pro- 
duce the " peaceable fruits of righteousness." 

4. It is too expensive for the poor ; and the means 
thus employed by the rich could be far better used in 
bringing gospel truth before the living to fit them for 
a dying hour. 

The custom of changing the entire apparel of a 
numerous family on the death of a relative, produces 
not unfrequently great privation and pecuniary em- 



46 MOURNING APPAREL. 

barrassment. Often has the little all, left by the 
industry and frugality of the deceased parent to sup- 
port the widow and children, been sadly diminished, 
or altogether swept away, by being devoted to the 
purchase of unnecessary garments of mourning ap- 
parel, which, under a more healthy public opinion, 
might have been dispensed with, and the children 
supplied with other and far more necessary articles 
of comfort. We would not treat this question lightly 
or harshly ; the custom is dictated by the most deli- 
cate impulses and sympathies of our better nature ; 
still it is a custom which could well be dispensed with 
altogether. In summer, mourning dresses are the 
most uncomfortable of any that are worn. And what 
use do they serve ? To remind us that we are afflicted 
and bereaved ? We need no outward memorial of 
that melancholy fact, nor do we desire to be pointed 
out to an unsympathizing world as one that asks pub- 
lic attention to the circumstance. Shall a suit of 
sable be worn because it is grateful to our own indi- 
vidual feelings — because it affords us solace and com- 
fort in our bereavement ? We can derive no consola- 
tion from such a source, or from any such outward 
signs of grief. 

5. The custom is inconvenient. It throws the 
bustle aad responsibility of making purchases and 
making garments upon a family at the moment when, 
on every account, they most imperatively require 



M0UKNING APPABEL. 47 

seclusion and retirement; when, worn out with watch- 
ing, care, anxiety and grief, they need quiet and 
repose. To us there is a shocking unseemliness, we 
had almost said sacrilege, in turning the house of 
death into a shop for the dressmaker! Who that 
has ever witnessed what usually passes upon such 
occasions — who that has seen the afflicted dragged 
forth to be dressed for the pageant, harassed by 
inquiries about gowns and bonnets, or heard, inter- 
mingled with sighs, sobs, and tears of anguish, paltry 
discussions about the adjustment of a cap or a ribbon 
— who has seen all this without seeing and feeling 
that it was unbecoming and ill-timed beyond all 
power of words to express. Who will be among the 
first to throw off" this vassalage to the decree of an 
oppressive custom — this servility to diseased public 
opinion ? Many have done so already — who will 
imitate their laudable example ? 

There is nothing in the color of black which is in^ 
reality any more mournful, only for its associations, 
from habit, than in any other color. The fop, in his 
suit of black, does not look half so solemn as do some 
others in blue or drab. In China the color of mourn- 
ing is white ; in Turkey, blue or violet ; in Egypt, 
yellow ; in Ethiopia, brown. Each people, says a 
writer, profess to have their reasons for the particular 
color of their mourning apparel. White is supposed 
to denote purity ; yellow, that death is the end of 



48 MOURNING APPAREL. 

human existence here, as the leaves when they fall 
and the flowers when they fade turn yellow ; brown 
denotes the earth to which the dead return ; blue 
expresses the happiness which it is hoped that the 
departed enjoy ; and purple or violet, sorrow on one 
sida and hope on the other, that color being a mix- 
ture of black and blue. In a dress devoid of ostenta- 
tious vanity, the dead can be as much respected in 
one color as another. 

" But think ye, how quiet their lot, 

Who sleep the calm sleep of the blest: 
The lashes of sorrow, the fetters of care, 
Temptation and trials disturb them not there, 
So sweetly in Jesus thej- rest." 



"^^C^^O^ 5 * 



MY MOTHER'S GRAVE. 

I love to stay where my mother sleeps, 
And gaze on each star as it twinkling peeps, 
Through the bending willow which lonely weeps 
O'er my mother's grave. 

I love to kneel on the green turf there, 
Afar from the scenes of my daily care, 
And breathe to my Saviour my evening prayer, 

O'er my mother's grave. 

• 

I well remember how oft she led, 
And knelt me by her, as. with God she plead, 
That I might be His when the turf was spread 
O'er my mother's grave. 

I love to think how 'neath the ground 
She slumbers in death as a captive bound, 
But she'lLslumbor no more, when the trump shall sound 
O'er my mother's grave. 



STIFF NECKS AND STRAIT JACKETS. 49 

STIFF NECKS AND STRAIT JACKETS. 

The Lord passes them by unblessed ! How can he 
do otherwise f How can lie bless them ? How can 
salvation come where sectarian walls remain, like pil- 
lars of brass, immovable ? where the different evan- 
gelical sects stand aloof from each other, refuse to 
unite in saving souls ? This absence of God's Spirit 
is remarkable in the visitations of God's special mercy. 
Wherever God's people have laid aside all party spirit, 
all sectarian biases, and united honestly and heartily 
in promoting a general revival, there God has met 
them, poured out His Spirit overflowingly ! Conse- 
quently nearly every soul, in some villages, has bowed 
humbly to the Prince of Peace ! 

While in other places, where the brazen walls of 
sectarianism remain adamantinely, there the Spirit 
has been measurably withheld. 

" Is it for sect or creed to fight, 
To call oar zeal the rule of right, 
When what we wish is, at the best, 
To see our church excel the rest." 

How clearly and forcibly has God manifested His 
displeasure at these divisions and subdivisions — this 
selfishness of the sect ! Thousands on thousands of 
souls perish annually, go down to the pit, that might 
be saved everlastingly, were it not for this wicked 
abomination. And who is responsible for these souls 

3 



50 STIFF NECKS AND STRAIT JACKETS. 

lost, forever lost ? Whose skirts are stained with 

blood! Whose? " Now I beseech you, brethren, 

by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all 

speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions 

among you." 

" Let party names no more 

The Christian world o'erspread; 
Gentile and Jew, and bond and free, 
Are one in Christ their head." 

iieader, are you in this strait jacket ? with a stiff 
neck ? Is it pleasant, well pleasing to your heavenly 
Father to remain thus in a nutshell religion ; a pent 
up, conservative, sectarian atmosphere? 

John Wesley, the celebrated founder of Methodism, 
in his preface to Notes on the New Testament, uses 
the following prayer, which deserves the serious and 
candid consideration of every admirer of that distin- 
guished man, and servant of God. 

" Would to God that all the party names and un~ 
scriptural phrases and forms which have divided the 
Christian world were forgotten ; and that we might 
all agree to sit down together as humble, loving disci- 
ples at the feet of our common Master, to hear Sis 
word y imbibe His /Spirit, and to transcribe His life 
in our own." 

Such was the lana-ua^e of that creat and wod man 
at an age or time of life when his thoughts had ma- 
tured and ripened into fixed principles ; and when 
experience had taught him the eviloi' " party names" 



STIFF NECKS AND STRAIT JACKETS. 51 

and divisions among the " humble, loving disciples of 
Christ." 

We have no love or veneration for any name ap- 
plied to the disciples of Christ, but that which ex- 
presses our relationship to him; and our oneness with 
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Much 
depends upon a name. A mere name is often of 
more importance than many are aware. We have 
long believed, and experience has confirmed us in the 
opinion, that the Christian world is more divided in 
name than in feeling &nd principle. In feeling, true 
and devoted Christians cannot be divided. Their 
feelings are one and the same. 

" The great matter with all of us should be, to cul- 
tivate a spirit of true Christian fellowship with all 
who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. There 
is a religion — alas, how common — which never rises 
above sectarian prejudices. But there is also, blessed 
be God, a religion which rises above all merely hu- 
man distinction, and finds fellowship with kindred 
spirits without regard to denominational distinctions. 
Examples of this character we have seen. Holy hearts 
are drawn together naturally, by heavenly attraction. 
Oh, it is pleasant to mingle in the society of such — 
the very atmosphere seems melted into love, and we 
all seem to breathe the element which sustains the 
spiritual life of angels. True and entire holiness, and 
this alone, will produce such union." 



52 STIFF KECKS AXD STRAIT JACKET8. 

Prof. H. Cowles, alluding to this happy, joyful 
state of things, reasons thus : — 

" It would not be easy to estimate adequately the 
value of this union in promoting love among brethren, 
making prayer acceptable to God, in preparing Chris- 
tian hearts for the indwelling of the Spirit, and in re- 
moving from Christianity an indefinite amount of 
scandal. It reminds us of the prayer of our Saviour 
' that they all may he one /' and of the great end to 
be gained by this union, viz., ' that the world may Re- 
lieve that thou hast sent me.' The tendency and the 
power of this union to enforce conviction as to Christ's 
divine mission, and thus to promote a saving faith in 
him, have been shown to be very great. Only let this 
union become complete — then shall we see the way of 
the Lord prepared for salvation to our world." 

Here we stand on common ground, and nothing but 
the spirit of this blessed book, the Bible, will finally 
eradicate forever this sectarian spirit, this monster 
with many heads. 

11 Away then with this evil, ye who love 
The holy principles of God's blessed word, 
And to the truthful pattern there inscribed 
Study to bear resemblance. Use no more 
Your ' shibboleths,' and rods, or measuring lines 
But make alone the perfect law of love 
The testing point, standard of fellowship ; 
So shall ye nourish like the 'bay trees ' green, 
And freshly watered, and the word of life 
Like rivers flow unfettered, while the Lord 
Shall be well pleased, and smile approvingly. 7 ' 



THE FLOWERS HAVE GONE TO HEAVEN. 53 

The absorbing question should be always (not the 
building of sects), how can we most honor God in 
doing good to all ? What shall we do to save sin- 
ners, redeem a world of rebels lost ! deliver them from 
the wrath to come ? 

" Behold how good and how pleasant it is for 
brethren to dwell together in unity." 

" How beautiful is Christian love ! 
How sweet the fellowship we prove 
Of kindred hearts — in Jesus one, 
0, this is heaven on earth begun ! 

This glorious Christian Union 1 



oco 



THE FLOWERS HAVE GOHE TO HEAVES. 

A little girl with mild blue eye, 
Once whispered in her mother's ear, 

" Where would I go if I should die, 
As did our little Willie dear ?" 

The mother gently kissed her cheek, 

And told her of the better land — 
Where dwell the beautiful and meek, 

In one angelic, seraph band. 

The autumn winds blew cold and drear, 
The flowers strewed the ground at even ; 

The child brushed off a pearly tear, 

And said, " The flowers have gone to Heaven." 



54 A CHAPTER ON THANKSGIVINGS. 



A CHAPTER ON THANKSGIVING. 

Thank the Lord ? When ? Now f Yes, now, 
this moment — thank him first of all that you have a 
heart to thank him. A thankful heart is from God 
— thank him for a thankful heart — thank him for 
every thing — all things, great things and little things. 
Thank him as mercies come on and as they go off. 
As new mercies appear, begin to thank him — keep on 
thanking him. And he sure to return God thanks 
the very instant you feel the first risings of gratitude. 
Thank him while the heart is warm, lest a moment's 
delay may cool the ardor of your thanksgivings. 
Now, now is the time, the accepted time. A single 
moment's delay may lead to forgetfulness, indiffer- 
ence, or coolness in your thanksgivings. God loves 
a heart full and fresh with thanksgiving, burning 
from the altar, sincere, earnest, outbursting. Em- 
brace the very instant the blessing is received — any 
blessings — all blessings, temporal and spiritual — little 
blessings or great blessings. All good comes from 
God, the Father of light, food, raiment, houses, homes, 
lands, fathers, mothers, kind looks, kind thoughts, 
kind expressions, every grasp of friendship. Our 
senses — hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling. Our phy- 
sical, intellectual, and moral faculties, all these call 
for daily and hourly thanks. Then life itself, the 



A CHAPTER ON THANKSGIVINGS. 55 

land of mercy, the land of Bibles, of pure worship, 
the gift of God's dear Son, through whose sacrifice 
and intercessions all blessings flow — the Bible — the 
Holy Spirit — hope of life everlasting — all these, and 
still more, should fill our hearts with grateful praise, 
w T ith continued outburstings of thanksgivings. God's 
providential dealings, the preservation of life, health, 
strength, our right reason, should call forth grateful 
thanks. We should thank God rising up and lying 
down, going out, coming in, at all times, till our 
whole being, body, soul, and mind, is full of thanks, 
nothing but thanks, a bundle of thanks. 

This continual thanking God for mercies is the 
sure way to obtain mercies, new mercies, greater mer- 
cies. Thank God for little mercies ; by and by, if 
faithful to past mercies, in giving thanks for them, 
very soon God in mercy bestows greater mercies and 
still greater. God is well pleased to bestow his rich- 
est blessings on the thankful and obedient that live 
to thank him for his goodness, " Whoso offereth praise 
glorifieth me." O friends, how much we lose by not 
thanking God for his goodness. Some perish, starve 
outright, for not thanking God. God will be thanked 
now &x\difor ever. If we refuse to thank God, others 
will, and he can raise up the stones in the streets to 
praise him, cause the hills and the valleys to praise 
him, fire, hail, snow, stormy winds, mountains, all 
hills, fruitful trees, all cedars, beasts, cattle, flying 



56 A CHAPTER ON THANKSGIVINGS. 

fowl, all creeping things, the sun, moon, the starry 
hosts and heavenly hosts, the seas and all that in 
them is. 

" Thy numerous works exalt thee, Lord, 
Nor will I silent be ; 
rather let me cease to breathe, 
Than cease from praising thee." 

To thank God is not only a privilege but a positive 
duty, binding on all intelligences. God commands 
us to thank him, and to thank him always, for he is 
good and his mercy endureth for ever. God is wor- 
thy of all praise and he will have it. 

David knew this, understood it perfectly, nor was 
he unmindful of his duty. Hear him : " I will bless 
God at all times, his praise shall be in my mouth con- 
tinually." "It is a good thing," says he, "to give 
thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy 
name, O Most High." The Bible is full of these 
examples of holy men in giving God thanks. Friends, 
are you thanking God continually for all his mercies, 
for all his judgments? Do you make it a special 
business ? the first thing, the last thing, the ever-con- 
tinued thing ? Do you prize the privilege of thank- 
ing God above all price % What an infinite mercy 
that he permits creatures so unworthy, so hell-deserv- 
ing to praise him ! Blessing unspeakable ! Our 
whole being should burst forth with thanksgivings for 
this one mercy ! this one privilege. Beader, do you 



A CHAPTER OK THANKSGIVINGS. 57 

thank God ? do you live so that you can thank him ? 
No one can thank God as he ought, except he " walk 
uprightly, work righteousness, and speak the truth in 
his heart." The reason why David was enabled to 
thank God so much, so heartily, so joyfully, was, he 
walked softly before him, refrained from every evil 
way. Hear him: " I will wash my hands in inno- 
cency, so will I compass thine altar, O Lord, that I 
may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell 
of all thy wondrous works." This holy walking was 
the secret of David's continued thanksgivings. "With 
the pure thou wilt show thyself pure." — Ps. xviii. 26. 
Why is it we hear so few thanksgivings in the assem- 
blies of God's people ? The heart is not tuned to his 
praise. 

Beloved, let us so live that we can thank God with 
a good grace all the time. Sound out his praises from 
pole to pole, make a joyful noise unto the Lord ever- 
more. Serve him with gladness; come before his 
presence with singing ; enter his gates with thanks- 
givings and into his courts with praise — for the Lord 
is good — his mercy is everlasting and his truth en- 
dureth to all generations." 

" O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good ; for 
his mercy endureth for ever." " O that men would 
praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonder- 
ful works to the children of men." 

" Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord." 
" Praise ye the Lord." 



58 



BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, 



BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 




Reader, do you reflect on God's goodness in giv 
ing us flowers ? 

Our world might liave been made to bring forth 
nothing but briers and weeds, thorns and thistles ; 
" but beauty and fragrance are poured abroad over 
the earth in blossoms of endless varieties, radiant evi- 
dences of the boundless beneficence of Deity." Man, 
agreeably, to the promise, might have had " seed-time 



BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. 59 

and harvest, day and night, summer and winter," and 
yet no flowers ; for these were never promised, but the 
former were. They were lovely companions of our 
first parents in Paradise ; 

" God might have made the earth bring forth 
Enough for great and small — 
Like to the oak and cedar tree, 
Without a flower at all." 

But they were created to gladden the heart of man, 
cheer his lonely hours, afford him lessons of wisdom 
and instruction, give him beautiful and convincing 
proofs of the great Creator, and afford him perpetual 
themes for joyful admiration. 

The flowers, how sweet, how beautiful they are ! 
the cheering smiles of earth, and the lovely harbingers 
of spring, proclaiming the hand that made them Di- 
vine ? How gracefully the blue-bells nod in that si- 
lent wood among the rnoss-grown rocks ! The little 
anemone spreads its snow-white petals to catch the 
falling dew ; while the tall primrose balms the even- 
ing air. How rich those yellow cowslips appear in 
the flowery meadow among the blue violets — while 

" Red o'er the hills the roses bloom — 
The lilies in the vale." 

Are there not many important and painfully pleas- 
ant lessons in flowers — in their bloom and decay ? In 
the garden is the rose, the meek-eyed and beautifully- 



60 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS. 

blushing rose, the queen of the floral race : this flower 
■ — reminds me of a much-loved sister, the companion 
and playmate of my early childhood. 

" Her bloom was like the blooming flower, 

That sips the early dew ; 
The rose was budded on her cheek, 

Just opening to the view ; 
The rose grew pale and left her cheek — 

She died before her time." 

Flowers, O lovely flowers ! without you how many 
joyous scenes and pleasurable emotions would be lost ! 
Flowers! with you how many enjoyments and lessons 
of wisdom are ours ! We love you, because you are 
the stars in the green firmament of earth. You are 
emblematical of youth and innocence, and also of the 
glorious life to come, where flowers shall bloom per- 
petually, and never fade. 

" Flowers, bright and beautiful flowers, 
Sweet is your smile in this dim world of ours I 
Many a sad heart has blessed its beam, 
As it shone out beside the woodlaud stream ; 
Or 'mid the brown moss on the hill-side lone, 
Told that beauty and gladness had found a home : 
Flowers, flowers, beautiful flowers, 
Sweet is your smile in this dim world of ours I 



FRESH AIR. 61 

FRESH AIR. 

WITHOUT IT WE PERISH. 

Everything that hath life and breath requires a 
pure, fresh, healthful atmosphere. The animal and 
vegetable creation — the beasts of the field, the fowls 
of the air, the fishes of the sea, the insect tribes, plants 
and flowers, trees and shrubbery — all would wither, 
fade and die without this invigorating, purifying ele- 
ment. 

Above all, man needs it ; God saw this from the 
beginning, and filled the universe with it. It is free 
and abundant as the ocean of waters. And still we 
ignorantly and sinfully deprive ourselves of this pre- 
cious gift of Heaven ! Look at that minister in the 
sacred desk — his stupid, drowsy hearers on their seats. 
Do they know they are committing suicide? 

Impure air especially, in our crowded houses, is 
killing to soul and body ! 

A want of pure, fresh, air is the cause of more sleep- 
ing in church than any other thing. Every breath 
expired from the lungs is loaded with carbonic acid 
gas, which, when inhaled into the lungs, has a stupe- 
fying effect upon the system, and tends to make one 
drowsy. No air should ever be breathed twice. It 
is very injurious to health, to say nothing of the fil- 
thiness of the act. 



62 FRESH AIR. 



* 



Pure air is as necessary to health of body and mind 
as food is, and yet how few of our public places of 
resort are supplied with it ! Our churches, school- 
houses, steamboats, cars and omnibuses, are all so 
many places of suffocation and sources of disease. 
Everywhere we inhale poison and death. We are 
compelled to breathe the same air over again and 
again, and- every moment it contains more poison, 
more carbonic gas, and less of the vital or life princi- 
ple — oxygen and electricity. 

Think of the deleteriousness of breathing over and 
over again the breaths of hundreds of persons, many 
of whom have diseased lungs and maladies of various 
kinds, and cast out from the lungs at every breath, 
and from the skin in insensible perspiration, disease- 
engendering emanations ! 

Says an eminent writer of the medical faculty : — 
" Satan, among other things, robs ns of the very air 
we breathe, to lure us to the pit. Our hearing the 
word of life, maturing, digesting and profiting de- 
pends greatly on a healthy system — a pure, sweet, 
invigorating air. 

Respiration is the last act of digestion. This act 
oxydizes and decarbonizes the blood. The want of 
fresh and pure air is among the prominent causes of 
mortality. It is a fact that half of the race die before 
the age of twenty-one. The church, school-room and 
dormitory are changed into abodes of death. Fresh 



FRESH AIR. 63 

air is shut out, and foul air, the fell minister of death, 
kept in. When will due attention be paid to the sub- 
ject of thorough ventilation in constructing buildings ? 
u There is reason to believe that more cases of dan- 
gerous and fatal disease are gradually engendered 
annually by the habit of sleeping in small unventi- 
lated rooms, than have occurred from a cholera atmo- 
sphere during any year since it made its appearance 
in this country. Very many persons sleep in eight- 
by-ten rooms. There are multitudes in the city of 
New York who sleep with closed doors and windows, 
in rooms which do not contain a thousand cubic feet 
of space, and that thousand feet is to last all night, at 
least eight hours, except such scanty supplies as may 
be obtained of any fresh air that may insinuate itself 
through little crevices by door or window, not an 
eighth of an inch in thickness. 

" But when it is known that, in many cases, a man 
and wife and infant sleep habitually in thousand-feet 
rooms, it is no marvel that multitudes perish prema- 
turely in cities ; no wonder that infant children wilt 
away like flowers without w T ater, and that five thou- 
sand of them are to die in the city of New York 
alone during the hundred days which shall include 
the fifteenth of July, eighteen hundred and sixty ! 
Another fact is suggestive, that among the fifty thou- 
sand persons who sleep nightly in the lodging-houses 
of London, expressly arranged on the improved prin- 



64 CHRISTIAN UNION. 

ciples of space and ventilation, it lias been proven that 

not one single case of fever has been engendered in 

two years! Let every intelligent reader improve the 

teachings of this article without an hour's delay. 

"Are you fond of coughs, colds, dyspepsia and rheums, 
Of headaches, of fevers, and chills ? 
Of bitters, hot drops, and fumes ? 

And bleeding, and blisters, and pills ? 

Then shut yourselves up like a monk in his cave, 

Till nature grows weary and sad, 
And imagine yourself on the brink of the grave 

"Where nothing is cheerful and glad." 



CHRISTIAN UNION. 

"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one sovlP 

' ? That they may all be one!" a blessed prayer, 

Echoed by holy hearts and felt within 
As answered ever more and everywhere 

Among the souls redeemed from death and sin ! 
For by whatever name the world may care 

To mock those happy ones of earth w r ho win 
The prize of our high calling ; still, as one 

They stand together, one in kith and kin — 
Serving the Father, ransomed by the Son, 

And through the Spirit made to live for heaven ! 
O friends ! much loving, because much forgiven, 

Let us be one in heart throughout the globe — 
Renouncing narrow thoughts and bitter leaven — 

One, without rent, like Jesus' woven robe. 



DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. 65 

DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. 

"Jesus said, Wherefore didst thou doubt" — Matt. xiv. 31. 

" Never go gloomily, man with a mind, 
Hope is a better companion than fear." 

Doubt ? Yes, they doubt, keep on doubting. The 
minister doubts, and the people doubt. They were 
born doubting, educated in doubts, grew up in doubts, 
became rooted and grounded in doubts. Then of 
course, it's doubt, doubt, doubt ! They speak doubt- 
ingly, pray doubtingly, preach doubtingly, go about 
day after day in doubts. Every thing they do spir- 
itually is done on the principle and practice of doubt : 
they are doubts without, doubts within, doubts to- 
day, doubts to-morrow — so on to the end. They live 
doubtingly and die doubtingly. Only a few evenings 
since we attended a meeting of doubts, nearly all 
present were doubters ; the presiding minister himself 
was a doubter, encouraged doubting — he doubted, 
and of course the people doubted. " Like priest^ like 
people." Every one, male and female, that rose to 
speak were doubters, testified doubtingly — every one 
that spoke or prayed, spoke and prayed in doubts. 
Thus the meeting went on in doubts till the close — 
it was doubt in the beginning, doubt in ending — and 
broke up in doubts ; every one, doubtless, retired 
doubting, conversed on the way home doubtingly, re- 



66 DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. 

tired to rest on doubts, slept on doubts, rose up on 
doubts. 

Now this doubting meeting was only a specimen oi 
all other similar meetings in this congregation. These 
same doubting meetings are continued from week to 
week, from month to month, from year to year. All 
their meetings for prayer, praise, testimony, and ex- 
hortation, are made up of doubtings. Moreover all 
the converts converted under their doubtings, are con- 
verted to doubts, born into a kingdom of doubtings. 
Indeed, unless doubts are expressed, it is very doubt- 
ful whether or not the conversion is genuine ! This 
doubting is not only a sure mark of sound conversion, 
but proof positive of the graces of modesty and hu- 
mility ! 

Friends, what think you of this doubting process ? 
this being born in doubts, living and breathing in 
doubts, preaching, praying, exhorting in doubts, living 
and dying in doubts ? If we live a whole life of 
doubts and doubting, what surety have we of not dy- 
ing in doubts ? A beloved brother in the meeting of 
doubts alluded to, said ' he always had doubts, ex- 
pected always to doubt, always to have doubts ;' he 
commenced his testimony doubting, and ended it in 
doubting, and no doubt he will leave the world doubt- 
ing. Beloved, is not the thought fearful ? Is there 
anything in Grod's word to substantiate this doctrine of 
doubts, or the least intimation given of its being well- 



DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. G7 

pleasing in the sight of heaven ? What the influence 
of a church of doubters on the world ? on the minds 
and hearts of sinners ? "What the conclusion of the 
impenitent on hearing these doubters expressing their 
doubts, with long faces, and their heads bowed like a 
bulrush ? each one crying out in his doubts, " O, my 
leanness ! O, my leanness ! O, wretched man, who 
shall deliver me from these doubts — the body of this 
death?" 

Is the Gospel a failure ? Has Christ died in vain ? 
We read, and impenitent sinners read in God's book, 
that religion is happifying, purifying — that it makes 
us hopeful, cheerful, joyful, that the gospel is good 
news, glad tidings of great joy ; that Jesus Christ is 
a great Saviour, glorious, mighty, perfect, complete — 
one that can save to the uttermost, from all sin, all 
doubtings, and fearings ; that he came especially to 
destroy the works of the devil. Now ye doubters, by 
your doubtings what do ye do but give the lie to all 
this ? stab the very vitals of God's truth ! Still more, 
you bring an evil report upon this goodly land, dis- 
courage the people. How can you possibly dishonor 
God more than by this doubting ? What sin more 
aggravating in the sight of Heaven than unbelief? 
and doubting is unbelief, and unbelief is doubting, a 
sin of all others the most damning ! It makes God a 
liar ! It pierces the Son of God, opens his wounds 
afresh, drives the nails, points the spear. We have 



68 DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. 

no more right to doubt than we have to swear falsely, 
steal, take God's name in vain, commit adultery, mur- 
der or highway robbery — God forbids it. And still 
you flatter yourselves this doubting is quite harmless, 
even commendable, a sure mark of grace, modesty, 
and humility. Was ever blindness so preposterous, so 
Heaven daring? There is not the slightest shade of 
apology in the Bible for doubting. Godfrowns upon 
it, consigns it to the pit bottomless. There was no 
sin Christ and his apostles rebuked so frequently and 
so severely as this same sin of doubting, or unbelief. 
It's the poison of asps, the gangrene of hell, the very 
scum and bubblings of the pit ! ruinous ! O flee it 
as the serpent of serpents. — Friends, doubting friends, 
what do you gain personally by these doubtings ? 
Are you strengthened by them — built up in your most 
holy faith by these doubts ? Are they refreshing to 
your soul ? Rather, do not these doubtings weaken 
the whole man, paralyze it ? Is not this doubting a 
gangrene to the soul, a leprosy, a plague, a palsy ? 
It eats out the life-blood of Christian hope and use- 
fulness ; a man that is always doubting his own sal- 
vation, is unprepared to point others confidently to 
" the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the 
world." " Physician heal thyself" presses upon him 
like an incubus ; his heart faints within him, and one 
faint heart makes other faint hearts — one faint-hearted 
soldier on the eve of battle strikes fearfulness into a 



DOUBTING, DOUBTERS, AND A BUNDLE OF DOUBTS. 69 

whole army, and defeats the battle. This is why God 
commanded Gideon to say to all the doubters or fear- 
ful ones in his army, " depart," till the whole number 
numbered only three nundred, and with these few 
whole-souled, courageous ones, the whole Midianitish 
army was routed, and a complete conquest gained. 

" Our doubts are traitors, 
And make us lose the good we oft might win, 
By fearing to attempt." 

This doubting has been the curse of all ages. The 
Israelites, by one single act of doubting or unbelief, 
were forever excluded the promised land, and left to 
perish in the wilderness. 

The command is every w T here, " Be of a good cour- 
age, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his 
might." Then " one can chase a thousand, and two 
put ten thousand to flight." But what saith God to 
the doubting, the fearful, the unbelieving ? 

" Fearing always makes us weaker, 
Strips us of our powerful shield — 
Makes us cowards; — but the soldier, 
True and faithful, will not yield. 

Onward 1 then with bold endeavor, 
Press thee onward, while you may; 

Having Truth and Hope forever 
For thy guardians by the way I" 



70 



OUT-DOOR EXERCISE ; OR, 



0UT-D00R EXERCISE; OR, RUTH GLEANING IN 
THE FIELD. 

" So she gleaned in the field until even." — Ruth ii 11. 




OUT-DOOR employment gives 
pleasure and gain, 
And makes us our troubles 
forget ; 
For those who work hard have 
no time to complain, 
And 'tis better to labor than 
fret." 

Why is it that the 
beauty of many females 
fades so soon ? Is not one special cause, the neglect- 
ing air and exercise ? Daily out-door employment is 
the boon of life. Weakness, lassitude, indigestion, 
nervous affections, headache, loss of appetite, liability 
to sudden colds, and a fading complexion, as inevi- 
tably follow indolence and confinement, as the wilting 
of a plant results from the deprivation of light. 

Those ladies that have gardens and fields to culti- 
vate, have no excuse for this suicidal course whatever. 
A beautiful writer, alluding to this pleasant, health- 
ful, commendable exercise of the garden, speaks thus : 



RUTH GLEANING IN THE FIELD. 71 

" The garden is woman's proper sphere of out-door 
labor ; here she finds a natural theatre for her taste, 
and a remedy for half her ills. The garden is her 
academy and her gymnasium, her school of beauty. 
Here are the graces, one with her rose in her hand, 
and another with her branch of myrtle. In their 
society she breathes the fragrant morning air, and 
rests at noon in the shade of the vine which her own 
fingers have trained. It is wonderful, the miracles 
which her hands work there, the beauty and loveli- 
ness that bloom under her eye. The garden is our 
Paradise regained." 

This garden service was one of Eve's chief delights 
while in Paradise, and when compelled to leave, after 
her sad fall, how grievous ! 

u unexpected stroke, worse than of death ! 
Must I leave thee, Paradise ? Thus leave 
Thee, native soil ; these happy walks and shades, 
Fit haunt of gods ; where I had hoped to spend 
Quiet, though sad, the respite of that day, 
Which must be mortal to us both ? flowers 
That never will in other climate grow, 
My early visitation, and my last, 
At even, which I bred up with tender hand 
From your first opening buds, and gave you names, 
Who now shall rear you to the sun, or rank 
Your tribes, and water from the ambrosial fount ?" 



72 THE DEVIL A CHEAT ! 

THE DEVIL A CHEAT! 

" Tlie serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not surely die." — Gen. iii. 4. 

Satan cheats folks — every body he can. Cheating 
is his constant, every-day business. He is not only a 
cheat, a liar, and the father of liars, but a thief and a 
robber. He robs people of their time, talents, repu- 
tation, things present, things future — tilings temporal, 
spiritual, and eternal. The devil cheats sinners out 
of their life, everlasting life ! He cheated Esau out 
of his birthright. And multitudes at the present day 
are cheated out of their birthright for less than a mess 
of pottage. 

" I HAVE NO TIME TO READ," 

says one. " I have so many cares, I have little or no 
time for my closet, the family altar, searching the 
Scriptures." What are all these excuses but a temp 
tation of the devil to cheat the man out of his best in 
terests — his soul's eternal welfare ? 

" Up ! 'tis no dreaming time ! Awake ! awake ! 
For He who sits on the high Judge's seat, 
Doth in His record mark each wasted hour, 
Each idle word. Take heed thy shrinking soul 
Find not their weight too heavy, when it stands 
At that dread bar from whence is no appeal 
Lo ! while ye trifle, the light sand steals on, 
Leaving the hour-glass empty, and thy life 
Glideth away ; stamp wisdom on its hours." 

"NO TIME TO READ." 

Is this true, friend ? Are you honest in this asser- 



THE DEVIL A CHEAT ! 73 

tion ? How frequently is the plea in the mouths of 
merchants, clerks, mechanics, husbandmen, fathers, 
mothers, sons, and daughters, when presented with a 
good book, paper, or periodical, " I've no time to 
read." Do not these same persons that tell us they 
have " no time to read," find time to do their heart's 
desire ? follow the fashions, read novels, talk non- 
sense, smoke the cigar, attend pleasure-parties, engage 
in games of chance ? They have time to eat, sleep, 
attend to worldly business, count the dollars, post 
their books. The rush for the world is general, un- 
ceasing. But they have no time to read save for 
business transactions. Prices current must be exam- 
ined ; stocks, the market, the bank note list turned 
over ; the novel, the romance, the love ditty, party 
politics — time enough for these — but none for the 
solid, the pure, the intellectual, the spiritual, the eternal ! 
Go into the merchant's room, the mechanic's shop, 
the lawyer's office, any where in the public throng, 
the rush of business, offer a good book that points the 
way to life eternal, solicit a subscription for a valu- 
able periodical, a religious weekly or monthly, what 
the general response ? " I've no time to read." Is 
not Satan at the bottom of these subterfuges — these 
pleas of want of time ? 

" The moments fly — a minute 's gone ! 
The minutes fly — an hour is run! 
The day is fled — the night is here : 
Thus flics a week — a n.onlli — a year!" 

4 



74 THE DEYIL A CHEAT ! 

The will is wanting. " The idea about the want 
of time to do this or that," says a vivid writer, " is 
a mere phantom. Franklin found time in the midst 
of all his labors to dwe into the hidden recesses of 
philosophy, to explore the untrodden paths of science. 
The great Frederick, with an empire at his direction, 
in the midst of war, on the eve of battles, which were 
to decide the fate of his kingdom, found time to revel 
in the charms of philosophy and intellectual pleas- 
ures. Bonaparte, with all Europe at his disposal, 
with kings in his antechamber begging for vacant 
thrones, with thousands of men whose destinies were 
suspended on the brittle thread of his arbitrary pleas- 
ure, had time to converse with books. Caesar, when 
lie had curbed the spirits of the Roman people, and 
was thronged with visitors from the remotest king- 
doms, found time for intellectual cultivation. Every 
man has time, if he improves it as well as he might, 
and can reap a three-fold reward, intellectual and 
spiritual." 

" Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou 
goest." Reader, 

" Awake ! why sleepest thou thy soul ? 

All nature cries awake ; 
The orbs of heaven unceasing roll, 
The stars in circles round the pole. 

Their steady journey make. 



THE DEVIL A CHEAT ! 75 

Awake, and see each living thing 

Pursue its course in haste ; 
The birds their gathered morsel bring, 
And as they labor gladly sing, 

We have no time to waste." 

" NO TIME TO READ. 

Friends, be honest, speak truth ; is it not a fact, 
you have no heart's desire to read good things, hoi} 7 
things — things that make for your peace, that edify, 
purity, and sanctify ! — no relish for things heavenly 
and divine ? Therefore by way of apology you tell 
us vou have " no time to read !" Were your souls 
alive to God, hungering and thirsting after righteous- 
ness, would you not find time to read, meditate, and 
pray ? " Where there is a will, there is a way." 
" Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak- 
eth." 

" Ho every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters." — Wherefore do ye spend money for that 
which satisfieth not : hearken diligently unto me, 
and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul de- 
light itself in fatness." Isa. lv. 2. 

" 'Tis not the want of time, nor means, nor good intent, 
That has these millions to perdition sent; 
But 'tis the Siren who, his victims to betray, 
Persuades with honeyed words, repentance to delay. 

Delay's the Siren's name, whose fascinating song 
Lures and deceives the maddened swelling throng. 
Delay's the fatal cause that bars the heavenly gates, 
And tortures with an agony which ne'er abates." 



76 SINGING TO THE LORD. 



SINGING TO THE LORD. 

" Sing unto the Lord, all ye lands, sing unto him a new song, for praise 
is comely for the upright." 

" The mar. that hath no music in himself, 
Nor is not moved by concord of sweet sounds, 
Is Lit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; 
The motions of his spirit are dull as night, 
*\nd his affections dark as Erebus ; 
Let no such man be trusted." 

Sing ? Yes, sing — " sing praises." 

" There is music all around us, 
If we only list awhile." 

" It is a good tiling to give thanks unto the Lord, 
to sing praises to thy name, O Most High. To show 
forth tli} 7 loving-kindness every morning, and thy 
faithfulness every night." 

" Sing unto hi in a new song." 

" Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands." 
. . . " Make his praise glorious." " I will bless the 
Lord at all times," says the sweet singer of Israel, 
" his praise shall be continually in my mouth." " The 
joy of the Lord is our strength." 

We can sing our cares away easier than we can 
reason them away. Sing in the morning. The birds 
are the earliest to sing, the birds are without care, 
without sin. They sing at evening. Singing is the 
last thing that robins do. When they have done their 
daily work, flown their last flight, picked up their last 



SINGING TO THE LOED. 77 

morsel of food, and cleaned their bill on a napkin of 
a bough, then, on a topmost twig, they sing one song 
of praise. They sleep sweeter for it. They dream 
music ; for sometimes in the night they break forth in 
singing, and stop suddenly after the first note, startled 
by their own voice. O that we might sing morning 
and evening, and let song touch song all the way 
through ! 

O that w r e could put songs under our burdens ! Let 
us extract the sense of sorrow by song. Sing in the 
house. Teach your children to sing. When troubles 
come, go at them with songs. A singing child is not 
far from a happy one. Mothers, see to it that the 
rudiments of music are early taught your little ones. 
Sing with them and pray for them, and let your 
family be not only a praying circle, but a singing one 
also. When griefs rise up, sing them down. Lift the 
voice of song against cares. Praise God by singing ; 
that will lift you above trials of every sort. Attempt 
it. They sing in heaven ; and among God's people 
upon earth, song is the appropriate language of Chris- 
tian feeling. A Christian alive to God, on the mount, 
full of faith and the Holy Spirit, abstaining from all 
appearance of evil, will be joyful in the Lord, and 
this holy joy will give vent in songs of praise. The 
Christian thus joyful will sing, tune his heart in 
grateful thanksgiving, make a joyful noise unto the 
Lord. David, the sweet singer of Israel, was con- 



7^ SINGING TO THE LOED. 

stantly singing when a shepherd ; and while king on 
the throne he was remarkable for joyful emotions. 
Praises ecstatic burst forth spontaneously. Why 
this ? " The secret of the Lord is with them that 
fear him." David was a holy man. consecrated. He 
washed his hands in innocence, had respect unto all 
God's commandments. " refrained his feet from every 
evil way.' 3 His whole soul was alive — on fire ! — con- 
sequently, gratulations, humble, devont, burst forth. 
" Sing praises," said he, i% sing praises, sing praises 
unto God." " Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all ye 
lands. Serve the Lord with gladness : come before 
his presence with singing ! Enter into his gates with 
thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise." % * O 
that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and 
for his wonderful works to the children of men/' 
" Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous." " I will bless 
the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be 
in my mouth.' 5 

Mark well: "the righteous" — what have the 
wicked to do in praising God I It's the upright in 
heart, in life, the true servants of the Most High, that 
can be truly joyful in the Lord. It's this joyful reli- 
gion which we need to convince the world of sin, of 
righteousness, and a judgment to come. Nothing 
short of this holy, joyful religion will suffice, meet 
the emergencies of the day. Header, do you sing, 
you sing, praise God, rejoice, joyfully ( Do you 



CULTIVATE MUSIC. 79 

sing in your soul, make melody in your heart to the 
Lord ? Do you sing in your family, morning and 
evening, around the family altar, and in the house of 
God ? Do you sing while employed in your daily 
avocations, praise God continually ? Singing, making 
melody in the heart to the Lord, adds life to life, 
beauty to beauty. With singing praises God is well 
pleased. " Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me," saith 
the Lord, 

" Praise the Lord, ye everlasting choirs, 
Praise the Lord in holy songs of joy. 
Worlds unborn shall sing his glory, 
The exalted Son of God ; 
Praise the Lord in holy songs of joy." 



CULTIVATE MUSIC. 

As a source of personal enjoyment — of refined social 
pleasure, and extended usefulness — music, next to re- 
ligion, is unrivalled. 

It is good to sing praises unto our God ; for it is 
pleasant, and praise is comely. Let every thing that 
hath breath praise the Lord. — David. 

Be filled with the Spirit ; speaking to yourselves 
in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and 
making melody in your heart to the Lord. — Paul. 

Next to theology, it is to music that I give the 
highest place, and the greatest honor. — Luther. 



80 



ALWAYS YOUNG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 




ALWAYS Y0OG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 

" Nor know we anything more fair 
Than is the smile upon their free ; 
Flowers laugh before them on their beds, 
And fragrance in their footing treads." 



Keep young, blooming, sweet as the morning rose, 
till three score and ten ? What hinders ? We have 
seen old men and women in years, sprightly, full of 
life and vigor. The great secret of this continued 
bloom of spring is virtuous activity — a life of useful- 
ness, constancy in doing good, with all the might — 
cultivating a meek, gentle placid, and submissive 
temper, rising early, keeping the blood circulating, 
all the day, in doors and out, in deeds of mercy. 

There is no surer destroyer of youth, or youth's 
privileges, powers, and delights, than yielding the 
spirit to the empire of ill temper and selfishness. 

To believe good, and do good truly and trustfully, 



ALWAYS YOUNG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 81 

is the healthiest human condition. To take events 
cheerfully, and promote the happiness of others, is the 
way to insure the spring of existence. 

Content and kindliness are the soft vernal showers 
and fostering sunny warmth that keeps a man's na- 
ture and being fresh and green. If we would leave 
a gracious memory behind us, there is no way better 
to secure it than by living graciously, glorifying God 
" in our bodies and in our spirits which are his." We 
know individuals whose heads are frosted over by the 
hand of time, and yet lively as at sixteen, flying hither 
and thither on wings of love. 

Persons temperate in all things, full of faith and 
good works, diligent in business, fervent in spirit, 
doing justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with 
God, causing the widow's heart to sing for joy, never 
grow old. Doing good, imbibing the Spirit and deeds 
of the divine Master, is what makes one young, beau- 
tiful, angelic. His " youth is renewed like the eagle's." 
Such an one, instead of growing older and older, the 
longer he lives, grows younger and younger. 

This was true of Moses. When a hundred and 
twenty years old, " his eye was not dim, nor his natu- 
ral force abated." Deut. xxxiv. 7. 

It is slothfulness, inactivity, crying, " Yet a little 
sleep, a little slumber, a little folding the hands to 
sleep," that kill so many. " Sloth, like rust, con- 
sumes faster than labor wears." " The desire of the 



82 ALWAYS YOUNG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 

slothful killeth him." " Why stand ye here all the 
day idle f" Lazy folks die before their time ; they 
don't " live out half their days." 

" Time is eternity ; 
Pregnant with all eternity can give ; 
Pregnant with all that makes archangels smile ; 
Who murders time, he crushes in the birth. 
A power ethereal, only not adored." 

Who is old ? A wise man will never rust out. As 
long as he can move and breathe, he will do some- 
thing for himself, his neighbor, or for posterity. Al- 
most to the last hour of his life, Washington was at 
work. So were Franklin, Young, Howard, and 
Newton. The vigor of their lives never decayed. 
No rust marred their spirits. It is a foolish idea to 
suppose that we must lie down and die because we 
are old. Who is old ? We repeat, not the man of 
energy ; not the day -laborer in science, art, or benevo- 
lence ; but he only who suffers his energies to waste 
away and the springs of life to become motionless ; on 
whose hands the hours drag heavily, to whom all 
things wear the garb of gloom. There are scores *of 
grey-headed men we should prefer, in any important 
enterprise, to those young gentlemen who fear and 
tremble at approaching shadows, and turn pale, as at 
a lion in their path, at a harsh word or a frown. 

Young ladies, how is it with you ? Are you grow- 
ing younger and younger, more and more beautiful, 



ALWAYS YOUNG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 83 

as you advance in years ? Do you not wish to be un- 
changeably young, beautiful, angelically so, blooming 
as the rose, always cheerful, always happy ? Be good, 
and do good. 

A good woman never grows old. Tears may pass 
over her head, but if benevolence and virtuous purity 
dwell in her heart, she is as cheerful as when the 
spring of life first opened to her view. When we look 
upon a good woman, we never think of her age ; she 
looks as charming as when the rose of youth first 
bloomed upon her cheek. That rose has not faded 
yet ; it will never fade. In her neighborhood she is 
the friend and benefactor. Who does not respect and 
love the woman who has passed her days in acts of 
kindness and mercy? We repeat, such a woman 
cannot grow old. She will always be fresh and 
buoyant in spirits, and active in deeds of mercy. If 
the young lady desires to retain the bloom and beauty 
of youth, let her not yield to pride, fashion, or folly ; 
let her be modest, exercise all the graces of the spirit ; 
add to her faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, pa- 
tience, meekness, charity — whatsoever things are true, 
honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, and to 
the close of life she will retain those feelings which 
now make life appear a garden of sweets — ever fresh 
and ever new. 

This heavenly adorning of a meek, quiet, and be 
nevolent spirit is always lovely, always beautiful. 



84: ALWAYS YOUNG, ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL. 

" It never fades, it ne'er grows old, 
Nor fears the rain, nor moth, nor cold, 
It takes no spot, but still refines, 
The more 'tis worn, the more it shines." 

What sight more interesting, beautiful, and instruc- 
tive, than a cheerful, intelligent, pious, active old 
man or woman, posted up on all the reformatory 
movements of the day, blossoming for glory ? It is 
said of the Rev. John Wesley, by the excellent Alex- 
ander Knox, " I met him a few years before his death, 
and declare that every hour spent in his company af- 
forded me fresh reason for esteem and veneration. 
So fine an old man I never saw. The happiness of 
his mind beamed forth in his countenance : every look 
showed how fully he enjoyed 

' The gay remembrance of a life well spent.' 

In him old age appeared delightful, like an evening 
without a cloud." 

Them that honor God, God will honor. 

" My remnant of days 

I spend to his praise, 
Who died the whole world to redeem : 

Be they many or few, 

My days are his due, 
And they all are devoted to him." 



" MY BELOVED IS MINE AND I AM HIS." 85 

"MY BELOVED IS MINE AND I AM HIS." 

Canticles ii. 16. 

Yes, He is mine ! and nought of earthly things, 
Not all the charms of pleasure, wealth, or power, 

The fame of heroes, or the pomp of kings, 
Could tempt me to forego his love an hour. 

Go, worthless world, I cry, with all that's thine ! 
Go ! I my Saviour's am, and He is mine. 

The good I have is from His store supplied : 
The ill is only what he deems the best ; 

He for my Friend, I'm rich with nought beside; 
And poor without Him, though of all possess'd 

Changes may come — I take, or I resign — 
Content while I am His, while He is mine. 

Whate'er may change, in Him no change is seen — 
A glorious Sun that w T anes not, nor declines: 

Above the clouds and storms He walks serene, 
And sweetly on His people's darkness shines, 

All may depart — I fret not, nor repine, 

While I my Saviour's am, while He is mine. 

While here, alas ! I know but half His love, 
But half discern Him, and but half adore ; 

But when I meet Him in the realms above, 
I hope to love him better, praise Him more ; 

And feel, and tell, amid the choir divine, 
How fully I am His, and He is mine ! 



86 LEAVING SATAN BEHIND, 

LEAVING SATAN BEHIND, OR A BLESSING Oil A CURSE. 

Is it not so? Does not every man leave behind 
him, on bidding adieu to earthly things, a blessing or 
a curse ? 

" A good man, out of the good treasure of the heart, 
bringeth forth good things ; and an evil man, out of 
the evil treasure, bringeth forth evil things. 5 ' — Matt, 
xii. 35. 

The man, on earth, devoted to the skies, will in 
glory continue to speak for God here below while 
time remains. 

" Some men's sins are open beforehand, going be- 
fore to judgment ; and some men they follow after. 
Likewise also the good works of some are manifest 
beforehand ; and they that are otherwise cannot be 
hid."— 1 Tim. v. 24, 25. 

The examples of good men though dead will speak, 
be " had in everlasting remembrance." Is this all % 
Nay, the books, tracts, and periodicals of a pure and 
reformatory tendency left behind will preach salva- 
tion to very many, while he is praising God, singing 
hallelujahs around the throne eternal! " They rest 
from their labors and their works do follow them." 
Good books and papers preach ; bad books and pa- 
pers preach. One is a savor of life to life, the other 
of death to death ! One preaches salvation, the other 
damnation ! 



OR A BLESSING OK A CURSE. 87 

Reader, which kind of preaching will you choose 
to preach when the silver cord shall be loosed, or the 
golden bowl be broken ; when your dust returns to the 
earth as it was, and your spirit returns to God who 
gave it? Do not very many parents leave Satan be- 
hind them in bound volumes to poison the souls of the 
rising age ? Thus the iniquity of the fathers is visited 
upon the children to the third and fourth generation ! 
How many parents, blinded by the god of this world, 
leave " Godey," " Harper," " Peterson," and other 
sugar-coated poisons, serpents in the grass, the very 
devil himself in their libraries or on their centre 
tables, to curse their offspring ! While these same 
unwise parents are sleeping in their graves, their 
children drink in this novel trash to their own 
destruction ! We know a minister of the gospel, 
aside from other pernicious readings, w r ho had Shake- 
speare neatly bound in his library ! Who knows but 
this same corrupting, fascinating, licentious writer, 
may be the instrument in ruining the souls of his 
children forever? The lovely Charlotte Elizabeth 
tottered on the verge of everlasting death by poring 
over the pages of this bewitching author. [See her 
" Recollections."] 

Says the Rev. O. B. Waters : 

" Shakespeare's morality seldom rises above the 
supreme selfishness of the heartless world, and often 
sinks into its grossest forms. He has exhibited ambi- 



88 LEAVING SATAN BEHIND, ETC. 

tion, avarice, revenge, jealousy, and all the grovelling 
passions of the human soul, with all the skill of art, 
but where are those opposite graces of the spirit which 

alone can antidote their influence ? It is remarkable 
that amid al* the multitudinous phases of human 
thought ar..d feeling, which the myriad-minded poet 
has represented, he has never attained to any concep- 
tion oi those high and sublime forms which flow out 
under the influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

" The tendency of nearly all his writings is to 
quicken into inordinate and morbid activity that 
faculty which phrenologists term amativeness, already 
strong enough to need firm and wise restraint. No 
one can deny, moreover, that with all his excellences 
there is among his plays a great amount of senseless 
frivolity, unworthy of a thoughtful, earnest mind. 

" Besides who has counted up the passages where he 
is positively vulgar and covertly or openly licentious ? 
Not a few there are I am sure, that are most grossly 
so. What a sink of pollution, vulgarity and licen- 
tiousness is, for instance, the Merry Wives of Wind- 
sor. While no one of his plays, even the best, can 
give you a model, and scarcely an instance, of those 
exalted and self-denying virtues which spring only 
from a heartfelt sympathy with the spirit of the Bible. 

"His powerful and exciting delineations of love 
have, without doubt, ruined many a soul. If those 
instances were recorded where the works of Shake- 



THE BIBLE. 89 

speare have had an influence, either directly or indi- 
rectly, in exciting the passions to such an ungovern- 
able strength, that men have been led into crime and 
misery, what an account would be placed to their 



score." 



" world ! how deeply fallen from thy sphere ! 
mind ! how lost thy noblest wing of thought I 
soul ! how base thy form — how lost art thou 
To God's similitude — how deep thy stain." 



THE BIBLE— SO. I. 

The Bible, for more than a thousand years, has gone 
hand in hand with civilization, science, and law. It 
has never been behind the age — nay, it has always 
gone before it, like the pillar of fire before Israel in 
the wilderness. Its great principles of order, submis- 
sion, and freedom, have been the stability of states. 
Its very presence among them has been a saving ark, 
a refuge, and a rest. How far even beyond the pres- 
ent "time gleams the light of that wondrous book, 
which describes and promises true freedom and fra- 
ternity, that divine and universal brotherhood, of 
w T hich the nations only dream ? In a word, the 
Christian Revelation is the true salt of the earth, the 
vital force of communities and states. It alone re- 
generates while it preserves — preserves while it re- 
generates. " There never," says Lord Bacon, " was 
found in any age of the world, either religion or law, 
that did so highly exalt the public good as the Bible." 



90 LIVE FOREVER AND FOREVER. 

LIVE FOREVER AND FOREVER. 

That's the way to live, — the only, sure, safe gospel 
way, — to live forever and forever. Live so, speak so, 
that, being dead, we continue to live and speak for- 
ever and forever ! 

All holy men that walked uprightly, God-fearingly, 
all their days, are now speaking though dead, slum- 
bering in the tomb. Friends, do you not hear them ? 
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, Peter, 
James and John ; Bunyan, Baxter, Wesley, Dod- 
dridge, Payson, Taylor, Fuller, Summerfield. Do 
you not hear their sweet voices ? melodiously, heav- 
enly sweet. Their lips are closed in silence, moul- 
dering in the tomb, still their voices are heard, their 
influence for good distills as the dew of heaven, as 
rain upon the mown grass. Thousands on thousands 
yet unborn will rise up and call them blessed. Oh ! 
what a blessed life, — a blessed death ! 

Reader, how is your life ? Are you living now so 
as to never die, to live forever and forever, like those 
holy men gone before you ! Are you now living so 
that glory, honor, immortality will resound to you 
when sleeping in yonder cemetery ? Are you walking 
consecratedly ; going about doing good, imparting 
light, life, and salvation ? Are you setting an exam- 
ple of holy, watchful, prayerful, gospel self-denial ? 
Are you disposing your time, talents properly, all to 



FAITHFULNESS. 9 1 

God's glory? Then you will live and preach forever 
and forever ! Though dead, you will speak, — speak 
on as eternity rolls on ; speak for God, speak to man. 
" Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from 
henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest 
from their labors; and their works do follow them." — 
Rev. xiv. 13. 

" Tongues of the dead not lost, 
But speaking from death's frost, 
Like fiery tongues at Pentecost." 



FAITHFULNESS. 

Are you faithful ? Not are you successful, but are 
you faithful, " diligent in business, fervent in spirit, 
serving the Lord." 

God rewards us not according to our apparent suc- 
cess, but according to our faithfulness, patient endur- 
ance. We may toil all the day and catch no fish, 
while another by our side gathers his net full, ready 
to break. Paul may plant, Apollos water, God alone 
must give the increase. If we are faithful over a few 
things, God will make us ruler over many things. Go 
forward, labor on, toil on, by and by you come bring- 
ing your sheaves. Be not weary in well-doing, for in 
due season you shall reap, if you faint not. 

" On, Christian ! on ! 'tis the watchword to glory ; 
Though strong be thy foe, thy God is before thee. 
Arm 1 arm for the fight, in the name of the Lord, 
"With the breastplate of Faith, and the Spirit's sharp sword." 



92 



SOWING THE GOOD SEED. 




SOWING THE GOOD SEED. 

THE LORD MUST TAKE CARE OF IT. 

All we can do is to sow the seed in faith, water it 
with prayer as the dew of heaven. 

" Let us remember how 
The Holy One was doing good to all, 

And let us ever now, 
When on his name we call, 
Ask that his spirit on our hearts may fall." 

" In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening 
withhold not thy hand ; for thou knowest not whether 
shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both 
shall be alike good." 

" Thou knowest not which may thrive, 
The late or early sown. 
Grace keeps the precious germ alive, 
When and wherever strown." 

" Cast thy bread upon the waters : for thou shalt 
find it after many days. ' Some seeds, doubtless, will 
fall by the wayside, some on stony places, some among 



SOWING THE GOOD SEED. 93 

thorns — but other into good ground. Our business is 
to sow, and keep sowing broadcast, scatter the good 
seed : the Lord will take care of the germination, the 
growth, and the crop ; leave the results with him. 
Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God alone 
must give the increase. Do not be discouraged, 
friends, if the fruit of your labors does not immediately 
appear. Sow on, pray on. Speak a good word for 
Jesus, warn the unruly, comfort the feeble-minded, 
support the weak, be patient toward all men. " Be 
not weary in well-doing, for in due time ye shall reap 
if ye faint not." " He that goeth forth and weepeth, 
bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again re- 
joicing, bringing his sheaves with him." 

" Let us do good each day 
To some sad heart, or heart too full of joy: 

For gloom with scarce one ray, 
And bliss without alloy, 

Both need the sympathy we may employ." 

One very important method of " sowing the good 
seed" is through the medium of the press, the circu- 
lation of good books, papers, and tracts. These will 
impart light and life, preach when no audible voice is 
heard, in the house and out of it, by the wayside, at 
the merchant's desk, in the stage coach, the steam- 
boat, the rail-car, the closet, the domestic circle 1 ; they 
preach and keep preaching when we sleep and when 
we wake. Tliev hesitate not to declare the whole 



94: SOWIHO THE GOOD SEED. 

truth, boldly, uncompromisingly. Many pulpits fail 
to do this. 

Lecturing and preaching are great things, but they 
are not the greatest. They can do something which 
the press cannot do ; but the press can do much which 
they cannot do. Printed leaves can go everywhere. 
They never blush— know no fear- — never stammer — 
never die. They can be multiplied without end. 
Books and tracts can travel at little expense. They 
want nothing to eat. They require no lodgings. 
They run up and down like the angels of God, bless- 
ing all, giving to all, and asking no gift in return. 
You can print them of all sizes, on all subjects, in all 
places, and at all hours. And they can talk to one 
as well as a multitude, and to a multitude as well as 
to one. They require no public room to tell their 
story in. They can tell it in the kitchen or the shop, 
the parlor or the closet, in the railway carriage or the 
omnibus, on the broad highway or in the footpath 
through the fields ; and they dread no noisy or tumult- 
uous interruption. They take no notice of scoffs, or 
jeers, or taunts; of noisy folly, or malignant rage. 
They bear all things, suffer all things. They can talk 
even when the noise is so great as-to drown all other 
voices. No one can betray them into hasty or ran- 
dom expressions. And they will wait men's time, 
and suit themselves to men's occasions and conve- 
nience. They will break off at any point, and begin 



SOWING THE GOOD SEED. 95 

at any moment where they broke off. And though 
they will not always answer questions, they will tell 
their story twice or thrice, or four times over, if you 
wish them. And they can be made to speak on every 
subject, and on every subject they may be made to 
speak wisely and well. They can, in short, be made 
vehicles of all truth, the teachers and reformers of all 
classes, the regenerators and benefactors of all lands. 

" We want our friends to give this subject their at- 
tention. We feel persuaded that the importance of 
the press, as a means of spreading simple, gospel 
truth and promoting Christian piety, is not yet fully 
understood ; or if it is, the press has never yet been 
sufficiently employed in this great work." 

Is it not marvelous to see how few professing god- 
liness avail themselves of this easy and efficient mode 
of preaching ! Hew seldom do visitors and travelers 
furnish themselves with these silent messengers of 
truth, while the enemy of all righteousness scatters 
widely the poison of romance, lewdness, and infi- 
delity. 



'Ye who think the truth ye sow, 
Lost beneath the winter snow, 
Doubt not — time's unerring law 
Yet shall bring the genial thaw, 

God in Nature ye can trust ; 

Is the God of Mind less just ?" 



96 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

HOLINESS TO THE LORD, NO. I. 

" Rise to a higher, holier life, 

Te that are called the sons of God, 
Aud girded with the Spirit's sword. 
Go nobly to the strife." 

Holiness, what is it ? It is obeying the truth, through 
the Spirit, keeping the commandments. " Thou shalt 
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all 
thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and 
great commandment ; and the second is like unto it : 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two 
commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 
— Mat. xxii. 37, 38. " God is love ; and he that 
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 
Herein is our love made perfect." — 1 John iv. 16. 17. 
The perfection contended for is Christian, not angelic 
or Adamic — the perfection of our first parents in 
the garden of Eden ere they plucked the forbidden 
fruit. 

The brightest, highest, and most lovely angel in 
glory is not absolutely perfect. Absolute perfection 
appertains only to God. In this sense " there is none 
good but one, that is God." 

Says an eminent writer on the subject of Christian 
perfection : 

" The perfect in love are kept every moment by a 
present, simple faith in the atonement. The atone- 
ment is the very soul of perfect love. The perfect in 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 97 

love see more clearly and feel more deeply their con- 
stant need of the atonement than any others. They 
can cry feelingly, 

" Every moment, Lord, I need 
The merit of thy death." 

They are saved from sin only by resting wholly 
upon the blood of the atonement. They are saved 
from moment to moment only while they rest upon 
the merits of Christ, and " live by faith on the Son 
of God." Faith is the vital bond that unites their 
souls to the dear Saviour." 

" The just shall live by faith." What is there ob- 
jectionable to this definition of Christian perfection ? 
It is simply taking God at his word, obeying the 
truth, submitting meekly to the divine will — living 
by faith on the Son of God momentarily — presenting 
the body a living or continual sacrifice to God — 
rejoicing evermore, praying without ceasing, and in 
everything giving thanks — anything unscriptural in 
all this? 

This is just the perfection God requires in the pre- 
sent life — just the perfection we need — must have, to 
qualify us for usefulness and happiness. "Herein is 
my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall 
ye be my disciples." 

David, the sweet singer of Israel, understood this 
way of living by the moment — practised it — pub- 
lished it. Hark ! " Mine eyes are ever towards the 



98 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

Lord ; for he shall pluck my feet OTit of the net." — 
Ps. xxv. 15. Mark the saying " ever;" his eyes were 
ever towards the Lord — all the time; on all occasions. 
What eye was this? His natural eye? Nay, his 
spiritual eye, his eye of faith — faith in God's word, 
faith in his promises ; on these his eye of faith was 
fixed continually. Again he says : " I will bless the 
Lord at all times — his name shall continually be in 
my mouth." How could the Psalmist praise God at 
all times, unless he confided in him at all times ? that 
is, lived by the moment. Hear him in another testi- 
mony : " I have set the Lord always before me ; be- 
cause he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." 
■ — Ps. xvi. 8. Here the same sentiment is reiterated 
— the idea of living by the moment clearly and forci- 
bly expressed. This living by the moment w T as doubt- 
less the secret of David's holy living, his life, his hope, 
his joy, and rejoicing. So long as he continued to 
look to the Lord thus, he was not moved, turned 
aside by the world, the flesh, or the devil. "It is 
God," says he, " that girdeth me with strength, and 
maketh my way perfect." " "With the pure thou wilt 
show thyself pure." " Mark the perfect man, and be- 
hold the upright, for the end of that man is peace." 
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most 
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 
--Ps. xci. 1. " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on thee." Mark also the expres- 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 99 

sions in the 113th Psalm : " Blessed are the undefiled 
in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed 
are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek Him 
with the whole heart." " Wherewithal shall a young 
man cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto accord- 
ing to thy word." " These also do no iniquity ; they 
walk in his ways." — Ps. xix. 3. When David, in an 
unguarded moment, turned his eye from " the author 
and finisher of his faith," he fell grievously, lost the 
blessing of perfect love ! The loss was terrible ! He 
felt it to be so. What, then, his first prayer for its 
restoration ? Yes : " Wash me thoroughly from mine 

iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin Create 

in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 
w T ithin me." — Ps. li. 10. Without a full restoration 
of this inward cleansing, David felt he was not pre- 
pared to glorify God in doing good, in "building the 
walls of Jerusalem." This keeping the eye ever 
towards the Lord was not only the secret of David's 
holy living and joyfulness, but the same, we believe, 
is true of all the Old Testament saints who walked 
with God continually. So likewise of the New Tes- 
tament worthies, the apostles and primitive disciples: 
this doctrine of living by the moment shines forth 
w r ith renewed lustre and glory under the new dispen- 
sation. Wesley, Fletcher, Clark, Oarvasso, Lady 
Huntingdon, Maxwell, Madame Guyon, Taylor, Prof. 
Upham, Mahan, Finney, and all who are now in the 



100 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

enjoyment of the blessing of full salvation, tell us it is 
living in the constant fear and love of God, setting 
the Lord always before them, keeping the eye steadily 
on Christ, as their only Saviour, sun, shield, rock of 
defence, deliverer, wisdom, righteousness, sanctifica- 
tion, and redemption. " Living by faith necessarily 
involves the idea of receiving by faith, and by the 
moment, and of receiving each moment the grace 
necessary for that moment. O blessed life, Satan 
finds no lodgment. Faith is a shield by which all the 
fiery darts of the enemy are warded oft*. 

" Then is my strength by thee renewed ; 
Then are my sins by thee forgiven ; 
Then dost thou cheer my solitude 
With hope of heaven. 

No words can tell what sweet relief 
There for my every want I find — 
"What strength for warfare, balm for grief, 
What peace of mind." 

Living by faith on the Son of God, we live above 
the world, above sinning. Can we sin while looking 
intently to Jesus as our Saviour, humbly, confidently, 
perpetually? rejoicing in his love, his great salvation, 
doing whatsoever he commands us? All is on the 
altar, kept on the altar, time, talents, property, 
friends, reputation, influence, unbelief, all is given up, 
all set apart exclusively to God's service. Our wills 
are God's, and God's will ours. 

That freedom from both inward and outward sin — 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 101 

from both the guilt and the defilement of sin — is prac- 
ticable in this life. The very name, " Jesus" was 
given to our Redeemer, because he should save his 
people "from their sins" — not in them. And we are 
assured, in the most positive language, that, "if we 
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us 
our sins, and to cleanse us from all our unrighteous- 
ness." 

Blessed doctrine, — " Look unto me, all ye ends of 
the earth, and be ye saved." Is the sinner toiling in 
the painful slavery of sin ? Jesus comes to him as the 
great emancipator, saying, " Whom, the Son maketh 
free, he shall be free indeed." Again we say, blessed 
doctrine ! Sound it out through all the earth. 

" Captive of sin and shame, 

O'er earth and ocean hear, 
An angel's voice proclaim 

The Lord's accepted year ; 
Let Jacob rise, be Israel free ; 
It is the year of jubilee." 

But how may freedom from sin be obtained ? 
Freely, by grace, through faith. " Therefore, being 
justified* by faith, we have peace with God through 
our Lord Jesus Christ." Horn. v. 1. " And put no 
difference between us and them, purifying their hearts 
by faith." Acts, xv. 9. Hence, as both pardon and 
purity are obtained in the blood of Christ — the foun- 
tain opened in the house of David for sin and unclean- 
ness ; and as they are offered to all upon the single 



102 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

condition of faith, we are bold in declaring that in- 
stantaneous freedom from all sin may now be obtained 
by an act of faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, 

" Jesus, my Lord, thy blood alone 
Hath power sufficient to atone ; 
Thy blood can make me white as snow, 
No Jewish type could cleanse me so." 

Thus did Kino; David seek freedom from sin. 
" Have mercy on me, God" This was a prayer 
for pardon. " Wash me thoroughly from mine ini- 
quity, and cleanse me from my sin" This was a 
prayer for complete and instantaneous purity. "And 
the very God of peace sanctify you wholly ; and I 
pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body, be pre- 
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." This is a prayer for complete freedom from 
sin, to be instantaneously wrought, and for the preser- 
vation of the persons thus purified in that holy state, 
even unto our Lord's coming. 

" Just as I am — though tossed about 
With many a conflict, many a doubt, 
Fightings within, and fears without, 
Lamb of God, I come 1 I come I" 

As soon as the doctrine is announced that freedom 
from sin may be obtained in the present life, and at 
the present time, we are met by the fact, that the re- 
ligious life is a growth — compared in the gospel to the 
growth of a tree and of a child ; and with inference, 
that if freedom from sin is instantaneous, the religious 



HOLINESS TO THE LOBD. 103 

life cannot be a growth. To this it may be replied, 
that it may be a growth m grace and in knowledge. 
Of such a growth we read in many places ; but never 
of a growth toward freedom from sin. The whole 
tenor of Scripture goes to prove that sin is forgiven 
and washed away at once, by the blood of Christ, and 
not by a gradual process, such as a growth. 

But then, let it never be forgotten that religious 
growth is a sure result of freedom from sin. We do 
not expect children to grow out of their diseases ; for 
disease retards, if it does not entirely destroy, growth ; 
but we apply remedies to cure the diseases, and when 
they are cured, then we expect our children to grow. 
A tree infested by worms will not grow healthy ; nor 
does the skillful horticulturist- wait until it has out- 
grown the worms, but he removes or destroys them ; 
and then he reasonably expects a healthy growth. 
And it is God's plan first to free his children from all 
sin ; and then he expects and commands them to 
grow up in Christ, to the full stature of a perfect man 
— " strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" 
— " steadfast, immovable — always abounding in the 
work of the Lord" — " comprehending with all saints 
what is the breadth, and length, and height, and to 
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, 
being filled with all the fullness of God." 

"In perfect love" we dwell in God, 
And God in us " with peace and power; 
We walk the way our Saviour trod ; 
In sweet communion ever*/ hour." 



* 



104 BOXING up lightning; or 




BOXING UP LIGHTNING! 

OR, HOLINESS TO THE LORD, NO. II. 

Can you box up lightning — the Almighty T s flash ? 
Well, then, box up holiness to the Lord — the doctrine 
of purity, or perfect love. Box up one, the other as 
soon. 

Put down holiness ? put down heaven,, angels, glo- 
rified spirits — Omnipotence Himself. 

Friend, it is hard to kick against the pricks, you 
find it so. Saul of Tarsus did. liaise your puny arm 
against God's truth — the Bible, "holiness to the Lord" 
in this life, freedom of body, mind, and soul ? do it, 
but rest assured God will frown on your vain at- 
tempts. Truth is mighty and will prevail. The 
ashes of the martyrs produce a plentiful crop. 

Man, who art thou, that repliest against God ? He 
that sitteth in the heavens shall lau«*h at vou. The 
Lord will have you in derision. By-and-bye He will 
speak unto you in His wrath, and vex you in His sore 
displeasure. How easily and speedily can God break 
you with a rod of iron, dash you in pieces like a pot- 
ter's vessel ! Be wise, therefore, O ye that close the 
lips of your brethren, God's little ones — be instructed, 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 105 

ye who reject the counsel of the Most High. " Serve 

the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss 

the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the 

way when His wrath is kindled but a little." 

" The Lord of Hosts is with us, the God of Jacob 

is our refuge." " "Without holiness no man shall see 

the Lord." 

" glorious hope of perfect love ! 
It lifts me up to things above ; 

It Jpears on eagle's wings; 
It gives my ravish'd soul a taste, 
And makes me for some moments feast 
With Jesus' priests and kings." 

" HOLINESS TO THE LORD." 

Put it out ; keep it out ? Can you stop the glo- 
rious king of day, stay his goings forth from one end 
of heaven to the other ? or close the mouth of Vesu- 
vius? Then, maybe, in some humble measure, you 
will succeed in crushing out the pure word of life, the 
higher Christian walks, the entire transformation of 
souls into the blessed image of the Lord Jesus. The 
work of holiness: God is in it. Touch it by way of 
opposition, you touch the apple of his eye ! When 
you lift your puny arm against Bible holiness, you 
fight against Omnipotence, the King of kings, the 
Lord of lords. Beware how you touch this work of 
God, or attempt to steady it. Think of Uzzah, " he 
put forth his hand to the ark, and took hold of it. . . . 
And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 



106 BOXING UP LIGHTNING. 

Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error." 
2 Sam. vi. 6. 

Stay the onward progress of glory on glory ? Pre- 
sumptuous man ! Turn, twist, screw, throw cold 
water — still the fire will out, kindle afresh, burn hot- 
ter and hotter. Do your utmost to keep out or 
smother this superlative grace, it will burst out in- 
creasingly, here, there, all about. Hush the gentle 
breezes, stop the sun in his course, conceal his glorious 
effulgence at mid-day — can you ? As soon blot out 
the planetary systems, the starry firmament, quench 
the glowing fires of heaven, as the burning love of 
God in the sanctified soul. Close the lips of those 
enjoying the sweets of this redeeming, sanctifying 
grace, you do it to your own confusion. All you can 
say and do in opposition to a holy, consecrated life, 
will return upon you like the stone of Sysiphus, with 
shame upon your own head. It is too late in the 
daj 7 for editors, ministers, bishops, elders, deacons, 
and class-leaders to shut out these glorious beams of 
heavenly day, to put this gospel light under a bushel. 
" Holiness to the Lord " is a candle on a candlestick, 
giving light to all in the house ; a city set on a hill 
which cannot be concealed. Beware, friend, how you 
fight against God, offend one of his little ones, place 
a stumbling-block in the way of the least of his disci- 
ciples. Better a thousand times hang a millstone about 
your neck, plunge henceforth into the depths of the sea. 



FRIENDSHIP. 107 

" This slumber from thy spirit shake ; 

Warn'd by the Spirit's inward call, 
Be thou to righteousness awake, 

And pray that you may never fall ; 
Nor give to sin or Satan place, 
Bat walk in all God's righteous ways." 



FRIENDSHIP. 

How sweet to have a friend below, In whom we can confide ; 

To bless us if we act aright, And if we err to chide. 
To whom we can reveal each thought And feeling of our heart ; 
"Who shares with us each earthly joy, And in our grief bears part; 

But it is better far than this, To have a friend above 
Whose power is equal to-— -And lasting as his love. 
Who gives us every earthly friend, And all we here possess ; 
And if we do his holy will, Is always sure to bless. 

Then may we speak and act aright, And live so holy here, 

That when he calls his children home, We may with them appear. 

Never forsake a friend. When enemies gather 
around, when sickness falls on the heart, when the 
world is dark and cheerless, is the time to try true 
friendship. They who turn from the scene of distress 
betray their hypocrisy, and prove that interest only 
moves them. If you have a friend who loves you and 
studies your interest and happiness, be sure to sus- 
tain him in adversity. Let him feel that his former 
kindness is appreciated, and that his love was not 
thrown away. Real fidelity may be rare, but it exists 
in the heart. Who has not seen and felt its power ! 
They only deny its worth and power who have never 
loved a friend or labored to make a friend happy. 



108 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

HOLINESS TO THE LORD, 50. III. 

YOU PROFESS IT ; DO YOU LIVE IT ? 

" Teach me to walk as thou didst walk, 
When a weary pilgrim here." 

You prof ess holiness, do you live holiness f Here 
lies the test. You tell us you are holy, enjoy the 
blessing of perfect love ; do you practice holiness, 
live it out ? Do you exhibit the fruits of holiness in 
your family, in your daily and hourly deportment? 
Is your temper sweet, modest, submissive, Christ-like? 
Is your walk and conversation such as becometh this 
high and holy calling ? do they bear a living witness 
to the fact ? Do your friends and companions see 
" holiness to the Lord " beaming forth brightly in 
every look, every smile, every word, every moving 
muscle ? Do your little ones see this, your husbands, 
your wives, your neighbors ? Do you exhibit the 
fruits of the inner life in training your children for 
the Lord, in the way they should go ? How is it also 
in your dietetic habits, your dress, your furniture, 
your out-goes and in-comes? — in all your business 
transactions ? Does the world take knowledge of 
your holiness, in providing things honest in the sight 
of all men ? Do you owe any man any thing but 
love ? Are you strictly temperate in eating, drinking, 
sleeping ? in the use of all God's gifts ? Is your con- 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 109 

versation chaste, meek, modest, benevolent, heavenly ? 
Do you exhibit the fruits of holiness in regard to the 
poor, the sick, the afflicted, the oppressed ? Do you, 
as Christ commands, remember those in bonds, as 
bound with them ? Are you always ready to open 
your lips, " defend the poor and fatherless/' do justice 
to the afflicted and needy, rid them out of the hand 
of the wicked, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, 
judge the fatherless, plead for the widows ? Do you 
every where bear testimony against novel readings 
and novel puffings, intemperance in the use of strong 
drink and tobacco in every form, the sin of oppression, 
the spirit of caste, the pride of aristocracy ? and every 
secret abomination ? These are test questions, stand- 
ing out in bold relief, and cannot be lightly passed 
over, especially by those who profess the higher walks. 
The eye of God is upon us, the eyes of angels, of 
the just made perfect, the world's eagle eye also, and 
its gainsayings. It is one thing to profess sanetiti- 
cation, and quite another thing to live sanctification ; 
our walk must accord with our profession. God ex- 
pects it, demands it, angels, the world, justly. Holi- 
ness, to be holiness, must be Bible holiness, complete, 
perfectly symmetrical, God-like, Christ-like. " Every 
man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even 
' as he is pure." What saith God to Abraham ? " Walk 
before me, and be thou perfect ?" Christ, on the 
mount, commanded the disciples to be perfect. Paul, 



110 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

to the Corinthians, says : " Be perfect, be of one mind, 
live in peace." " Having therefore these promises, 
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthi- 
ness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the 
fear of God." 

Peter, also, says, i. 15 : " As he who hath called 
you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversa- 
tion, because it is written ; Be ye holy, for I am 
holy." " Set your affections on things above, not on 
things on the earth, for ye are dead and your life is 
hid with Christ in God." " Be blameless and harm- 
less, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of 
a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine 
as lights in the world." 

" Abstain from all appearance of evil, and the very 
God of peace sanctify you wholly." Friends of this 
high and holy calling, is this Bible holiness your holi- 
ness ? are you walking thus circumspectly, keeping a 
conscience void of offense toward God and man 
always? Can you testily to these facts, modestly, 
meekly, humbly, God-fearingly ? Bless the Lord, 
praise him for it. 

Tour light shall break forth as the morning, the 
Lord will keep you as the apple of the eye, guide you 
continually, satisfy your soul in drouth, make fat 
your bones, and you shall be like a watered garden, 
and " like a spring of water, whose waters fail not." 

Nothing so mars the peace of Jerusalem, hinders 



HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Ill 

the onward progress of this blessed Bible doctrine of 
" holiness to the Lord," as the inconsistent walk of 
those professing to enjoy it. Christ is wounded, 
deeply wounded. By whom? "What are these 
wounds in thy hands ?" Then he shall answer : 
Those with which I was wounded in the house of my 
friends. Zach. xiii. 6. 

" Let us therefore," says Paul, " as many as be 
perfect, be thus minded. . . . Whereunto we have 
attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind 
the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of 
me, and mark them who walk so as ye have us for an 
ensample — for many walk, of whom I have told you 
often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are 
the enemies of the cross of Christ." 

" 'Tis not a cause of small import 
A holy life demands, 
But what might fill an angel's heart, 
And fill the Saviour's hands." 

The Bible teaches us that true religion is love to 
God and love to man, and that there can be no true 
love to God where there is not love to man. " He 
that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how 
can he love God whom he hath not seen ?" 

" Who is my brother ? 'Tis not merely he 
Who hung upon the same loved mother's breast ; 

But every one, whoever he may be, 
On whom the image of a man's impress'd." 



112 HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 

We do expect more from those professing entire 
purity of motive, a holy, sanctified life, than from 
those making no pretensions to this superlative grace. 

We look for consistency in the every-day walk and 
conversation — a spirit of meek, modest, lamb-like hu- 
mility — a benevolence, disinterested, exalted, Christ- 
like — that looks not merely on its own things, but 
also on the things of others ; a cheerful, smiling, com- 
placent, yielding to the rights of others, where duty 
calls. We expect a meek, modest, retiring self-re- 
nunciation, gospel-like, in those testifying publicly 
the assurance of faith, great peace of mind, joy un- 
speakable. 

We may be eloquent, loud in our professions, speak 
with the tongues of men and of angels, and after all 
be " as sounding brass, or tinkling cymbal !" How 
grievously disappointed are we when we see in those 
making high pretensions to a sanctified heart, the very 
reverse of what they profess, in their spirit, conversa- 
tion, and general deportment ! Nothing so surely 
and speedily brings this blessed doctrine into disre- 
pute as the inconsistencies of those professing to enjoy 
it. When the disciples put the question to Christ, 
" Who is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven ?" what 
the reply ? Jesus called a little child unto him. and 
set him in the midst of them, and said, " Verily I say 
unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little 
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of 



THE TWILIGHT HOUR. 113 

Heaven. Whosoever, therefore, shall humble him- 
self as this little child, the same is the greatest in the 
kingdom of Heaven." 

a Let us, to perfect love restored, 
Thy image here retrieve, 
And in the knowledge of our Lord, 
The life of angels live." 



THE TWILIGHT HOUR. 

Oh, give me the twilight hour to weep, 
For friends who are distant afar, 

When through the deep blue sky doth peep 
The rajs of the evening star. 

Oh, give me the twilight hour to love, 
When earth gently sinks to repose, 

'Tis then the thoughts turn to things above, 
And the heart with pure love o'erflows. 

Oh, give me the twilight hour for prayer, 
'Tis then solemn thoughts arise, 

And angels are listening in the still air 
To waft the words to the skies. 

Yes, give me the twilight hour for prayer, 
When the moon looks forth from on high, 

And the solemn silence of the air 
Tells me that I must die. 



114 



NO CROSS NO CROWN. 




«\T 



SO CROSS NO CBOWIT." 



THE CROSS AND CROSS-BEARING DUTIES. 

" Take up thy cross, the Saviour said, 
If thou would'st my disciple be, 
Deny thyself, the world forsake, 
And humbly follow after me." 

Do you obey the Lord at once, implicitly, on the 
first movings of holy impulse? take up your cross 
immediately, unhesitatingly, and go forward when 
duty calls ? If, from the fear of man, the love of 
reputation, or from any cause, you omit your duty to 
saint or sinner, ponder well, look at it, turn it over 
and over, view it on every side, bring it before the 
judgment-seat, the great day of final settlement. 
See whether or not it will stand the test of the all- 
searching eye of Omniscience ! Have you failed in 
the least? Look and see where the remissness in 
duty lies. Ask God to forgive you, wash you, make 
you clean in the atoning blood of Jesus ; beseech 
him for renewed strength, wisdom and grace, to face 



NO CROSS NO CROWN. 115 

the enemy — make the path of duty plain. It is fear- 
ful to shrink from any duty, to shun any cross. 
Crosses to bear? Most assuredly. Our whole life is 
made up more or less of cross-bearing. Sometimes 
the cross is great, almost insupportable, like the cut- 
ting off a right hand, the plucking out a right eye. 
But thanks to the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, 
for grace equal to the day. " My grace is sufficient 
for you." " There hath no temptation taken you but 
such as is common to man." — 1 Cor. x. 13. " The 
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temp- 
tation." 

The cross will be lighter and lighter # as we follow 
on to know the Lord, the path of duty clearer and 
brighter. Sometimes little crosses are great crosses, 
and great crosses are little crosses. Satan often mag- 
nifies molehills into mountains. But no matter how 
little or how great the cross may appear, to enjoy 
peace of mind, hope eternal, it must be taken up 
forthwith. 

" Take up thy cross ; let not its weight 

Fill thy weak spirit with alarm : 

His strength shall bear thy spirit up, 

And brace thy heart and nerve thine arm." 

A devoted, consistent, Christian brother on one 
occasion failed in duty as he supposed, neglected to 
inquire into the spiritual state of a merchant, of whom 
he had purchased some articles for family use. On 



116 NO CROSS NO CROWN. 

his return home his conscience smote him for this 
omission. What now? Return, confess his fault? 
Say to the man he had a confession to make ? This 
was a terrible cross. What ! retrace his steps, go to 
the merchant behind the counter, thronged with cus- 
tomers, perhaps with a cigar in his mouth ! What 
now? The cross seemed intolerable. Must he go 
inquire whether the individual was a saint or a sin- 
ner? And if a sinner, warn him to flee the wrath to 
come ? And if a saint, rebuke him for his sins — sins 
of the flesh and the spirit ? Do it he must, or walk in 
darkness, endure the smartings of a guilty conscience, 
the hidings of heaven's smiling rays, the beams of 
love divine. 

a Take up thy cross and follow me, 

Nor think till death to lay if; doVn ; 
For only he who bears the cross, 

May hope to wear the glorious crown.'* 

The right hand was severed. The Lord opened the 
way, made the duty easy. The merchant was a sin- 
ner, unconverted, but expressed gratitude for the 
faithful and timely warning. Meanwhile observed he 
had been a subject of many prayers — that his mother 
was a pious woman, but he, as yet, was of the earth, 
" earthy," without hope, without God in his soul, 
laying up " treasures on earth." Who knows but this 
interview may have resulted in his soul's salvation. 
" Let him know that he who converteth the sinner 



NO CROSS NO CEOWN. 117 

from the error of his ways shall save a soul from death, 
and shall hide a multitude of sins." — James v. 20. 

" They that turn many to righteousness shall shine 
as the stars forever and ever." " If we confess our 
sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and 
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

" While I concealed my guilt, 
I felt the festering wound ; 
Till I confessed my sins to Thee, 
And ready pardon found." 

A cross to bear? Inevitably. " No cross no 
crown." It is cross, cross, cross ! all the way to 
glory. God's people in all ages have found it so. " If 
any man will come after me, let him deny himself 
and take up his cross and follow me." — Matt. xvi. 22. 
Our blessed Lord and Master, holy, harmless, unde- 
filed as he was, bore the cross. " O that this cup 
might pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will but 
as thou wilt," " The disciple is not above his master 
It is enough. that the disciple be as his master." 

The holy apostles understood cross-bearing. " We 
are troubled on every side, yet not distressed ; we 
are perplexed, but not in despair ; persecuted, but not 
forsaken ; cast down, but not destroyed. Always 
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord 
Jesus."— 2 Cor. iv. 8, 9, 10. 

Brother B. T. Roberts says : 

u To ' bear the cross,' is to voluntarily undergo suf- 



118 NO CROSS NO CROWN. 

fering, trials, privations, or to do unpleasant duties 
for tlie sake of Christ. There is no such thing as 
going around the cross that Jesus lays upon us. It is 
always so large that it completely fills up the ' nar- 
row way that leadeth unto life ;' and every effort to 
go around it either brings one to a dead halt, or con- 
ducts him back into the ' broad way that leadeth to 
destruction. If you would ive a Christian life you 
must, then, take up the cross, whether it is to witness 
for Jesus, to reprove sin, to keep silence, to mortify 
the deeds of the body, to visit the sick, or to labor for 
the salvation of the ignorant and the degraded. 

" But he sure you take the cross that Jesus lays 
uj)07i you. If you do not, and still strive to retain 
the grace God has given you, Satan transformed into 
an angel of light, will begin to make crosses for you ; 
and he will harass and perplex your poor soul, and 
will drive you about from one thing to another rati] 
you have scarcely any life, spiritual or natural, left. 

" It is no evidence that a cross is from Christ be- 
cause it is heavy ; on the contrary, when he presents 
a cross there is a degree of encouragement, and an 
assurance of His help that makes it easy. The cross 
that Jesus lays upon us may be heavy, but like the 
wings of a bird, it is a burden that carries while Ave 
carry it — and carries us too much faster and easier 
than we could otherwise go. 

" Nor is it safe to conclude that a thing should be 



KO CROSS NO CROWN. ■ 119 

done because it is a cross to do it. Search the Scrip- 
tures, and if you find no general precept applicable 
to your circumstances, ask for the light of the Holy 
Spirit ; and if the matter be important, consult some 
devoted friend, and have them unite their interces- 
sions with yours ; he sure and have no will about the 
matter, and you can hardly fail to be led aright." 

" Jesus, I my cross have taken, 
All to leave and follow thee." 

Paul says, " I am crucified with Christ." Those who 
tell us the offence of the cross, or persecution, has ceased 
— that the great battle for truth and righteousness 
is fought, and that henceforth the church is to move 
on smoothly and prosperously, ' on flowery beds oi 
ease,' are not the one's to stand at the cannon's 
mouth, place themselves in the battle's front, beard 
the lion in his den, wage open warfare with the com- 
bined powers of earth and hell. Satan is not very 
likely to trouble those that shun the cross, are at ease 
in Zion, oppose agitation, cry i peace, peace,' when 
there is no peace, bow the knee to a pro-slavery, time- 
serving age, loving the praise of men more than the 
praise of God. 

" Where is thy cross? the daily care, 
The daily toil, the daily strife — 
The warfare they are called to bear 
With foes who aim ?X more than life." 

What says Christ? "He that will live godly in 



120 NO CROSS NO CROWN. 

Christ Jesus shall (not niay) suffer persecution ;" " 1 
came not to send peace on earth, but a sword ;' 
" What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light ; 
and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the 
housetops;" u And fear not them which kill the body, 
but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him 
who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." 

" Must I be carried to the skies 
Ou flowery beds of ease, 
While others fought to win the prize, 
And sailed through bloody seas." 

Friends, are you obeying the Lord in all things, 
walking in all his commandments and ordinances 
blameless T Are you denying yourselves all ungodli- 
ness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously and 
godly in this world ? 

In a word, are you steadfast, immovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, rebuking sin 
wherever you see it ? Do you rise up against evil- 
doers — stand up against the workers of iniquity every- 
where ? Then vou have a cross to bear. 



" Must Jesus bear the cross alone, 
And all the world go free ? 
No ; there's a cross for every one, 
Aud there's a cross for me. 

The consecrated cross I'll bear, 
Till Heaven shall set me free, 

And then go home, my crown to wear, 
For there's a crown for me." 



NO CROSS NO CROWN. 121 

Where the cross ? Reader, what is your religion ? 
The religion of the cross ? A religion without the 
cross is not the religion of the Bible. " Whosoever 
doth not bear his cross and come after me," says 
Christ, " camfwt be my disciple." Here lies the test. 
No matter how great your professions, without the 
cross all is " sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal." 
The cross was Paul's chief glory. Beware of a reli- 
gion without the cross. 

We may have fine houses of worship, costly, splen- 
did, ornamented ; steeples pointing to heaven, loud- 
sounding organs, fashionable choirs, damasked seats, 
velvet pulpits, a talented ministry, highly educated, 
fluent, eloquent, a rich parsonage, all outward adorn- 
ments, — and what avail without the cross, the spirit 
of Jesus, the holy unction, the fire pentecostal ? 

There are hundreds of places of worship in this 
day, in which there is everything except the cross. 
There is carved oak and sculptured stone ; there is 
stained glass and brilliant painting ; there are solemn 
services and a constant round of ordinances. But the 
real cross of Christ is not there. Jesus crucified is 
not proclaimed in the pulpit. The Lamb of God is 
not lifted up, and salvation in him is not freely pro- 
claimed. And hence all is wrong. Header, beware 
of such places of worship. They are not apostolical. 
They would not have satisfied Paul, neither should 
they satisfy us. 

6 



122 LET US TKY TO BE HAPPY. 

There are thousands of religions books published 
in our times in which there is everything except the 
cross. They are full of directions about sacraments 
and praises of the Church ; they abound in exhorta- 
tions about holy living and rules for the attainment 
of perfection ; they have plenty of fonts and crosses 
both inside and outside. But the real cross of Christ 
is left out. The Saviour and his dying love are either 
not mentioned, or mentioned in an unscriptural way. 
And hence they are worse than useless. Reader, be- 
ware of such books. 

" The heavier cross, the nearer heaven ; 
No cross without, no God within. 
Death, judgment from the heart are driven 
Amidst the world's false glare and din. 
O happy he, with all his loss, 
Whom God hath set beneath the cross I" 



~oz>o*>- 



LET US TRY TO BE HAPPY. 

O ! try to be happy ! it is not for long 

"We shall cheer on each other by counsel or song ; 

If we make the best use of our time that we may, 

There is much we can do to enliven the way. 

Let us only in earnestness each do our best, 

Before God and our conscience, and trust for the rest, 

Still taking this truth in word and in deed, 

That who tries to be happy is sure to succeed. 



FRUITS FOB FOOD. 



123 




FRUITS FOR FOOD 



11 On the trees in yonder orchard, 
Peeping out amid the leaves r 
Hang a wreath of ruddy apples, 
Golden as the harvest sheaves ; 

They are round, and full, and glossy, 
With their cheeks of crimson gold ; 

They are juicy, ripe, and mellow, 
Half their sweetness is not told." 

"Fruits are good, excellent," place them on your 
table, make them a special article of food at every 
meal. Fruits are not only good, relishable, but very 
nourishing and healthy. Dr. Hall says : — 

" There is scarcely an article of vegetable food more 
widely useful and more universally loved than the 
apple. Let every family lay in from two to ten or 
more barrels, and it will be to them the most econom- 



124 FORGIVENESS. 

ical investment in the whole range of culinaries. A 
raw apple is digested in an hour and a half; while 
boiled cabbage requires five hours. The most health- 
ful dessert which can be placed upon the table, is a 
baked apple. If taken freely at breakfast, with coarse 
bread and butter, without meat or flesh of any kind, 
it has an admirable effect on the general system, often 
removing constipation, correcting acidities, and cool- 
ing off febrile conditions more effectually than the 
most approved medicines. If families could be in- 
duced^ to substitute the apple, sound, ripe, and lus- 
cious, for the pies, cakes, candies, and other sweet- 
meats with which their children are too often indis- 
creetly stuffed, there would be a diminution in the 
sum total of doctors' bills in a single year, sufficient 
to lay in a stock of this delicious fruit for a whole 
season's use. 



FORGIVENESS. 

How beautifully falls 
From human lips that blessed word Forgive ; 
Forgiveness — 'tis the attribute of God — 
The sound which opeueth heaven ; renews again 
On earth lost Eden's faded bloom, and flings 
Hope's halcyon halo o'er the waste of life. 
Thrice happy he whose heart has been so schooled 
In the meek lessons of humanity 
That be can gfive it utterance ; it imparts 
Celestial grandeur to the human soul, 
And inaketh man an angel. 



SILENCING WOMEN IN WORSHIPING ASSEMBLIES. 125 



SILENCING WOMEN IN WORSHIPING ASSEMBLIES. 

Is this right ? Females are allowed to sing, and do 
sing before an audience of thousands, applaudingly, 
by ministers and people. They can, and often do 
take the lead, fluently, in the domestic circle, in so- 
cial gatherings, at the pleasure or wedding party, be- 
fore the lords of creation, unrebuked. But how is it 
when a lovely, graceful, intelligent, and consistently 
pious female opens her lips in prayer or testimony in 
meetings for worship, where the other sex are pres- 
ent ? Is she allowed to speak, encouraged to witness 
for Jesus, tell modestly, meekly, what the Lord has 
done for her soul ? utter the word of exhortation, or 
address the mercy-seat? Is her testimony for her 
blessed Lord received gratefully, joyfully, when deliv- 
ered in humble submission, in silvery tones, with an- 
gelic sweetness and eloquent propriety ? Or is she, in 
very many church organizations, hushed into silence, 
prohibited from opening her mouth for her dying 
Lord? 

" Were I a persuasive female voice, 

That could travel the wide world through, 

I would fly on the beams of the morning light, 

And speak to men with a gentle might, 
And tell them to be true ; 

I would fly, I would fly o'er land and sea, 

Wherever a human heart might be, 

Telling a tale or singing a song, 

In praise of the Right, in blame of the Wrong." 



126 SILENCING WOMEN IX WORSHIPING ASSEMBLERS. 

The wife of a Congregational minister makes the 
following inquiries relative to women's keeping si- 
lence in these social meetings of worship : 

" Who called Miriam to be a prophetess ? "Who 
made Deborah both prophetess and supreme judge of 
God's chosen people { 

" Who made Huldah chaplain to the king, instruct- 
ress of the high priest, and professor in the theolo- 
gical seminary at Jerusalem ? What indications have 
we that anybody thought Anna, the prophetess, was 
out of her place in talking so much about Christ to 
the crowds at the temple as to deserve mention in the 
sacred record ? 

" Whose spirit was prophesied and poured out 
upon the sons and the daughters, the servants and 
the handmaidens, that they might all prophesy ? By 
what authority are Philip's four daughters put down 
by the inspired writer as prophetesses ' without note 
or comment i And -what did they do when they pro- 
phesied' ] 

" What did the women do of whom Paul says, 
' Help those women which labored with me in the 
gospel, with Clement also, and other of my fellow- 
laborers whose names are in the book of life' ? 

" What was Phoebe's office in the Church at Cen- 
chrea ? 

" Why was Irenia of note among the apostles ? 
Did Paul forbid women to pray and prophesy in pub- 



SILENCING WOMEN IN WORSHIPING ASSEMBLIES. 127 

lie ; and then give tliem directions as to how they 
should appear to honor the gospel when they did pray 
and prophesy in public ? 

" Does Revelation harmonize with reason, and, to 
save it from merited condemnation, must it be so in- 
terpreted as that it shall agree with the plain and 
spontaneous teachings of what is called { common 
sense V " 

The apostle gave directions how the women should 
behave in the exercise of their gifts, 1 Cor. xi. 5. 
He uses the words " prayeth " and " prophesieth," 
which he certainly would not have done had it been 
prohibited. He not only gave such directions, but he 
mentions, with peculiar regard, certain women that 
had labored with him in the gospel, Phil. iv. 3. 

We find also that in the prophecy of Joel, as quoted 
by Peter (Acts ii. 17, 18), the promise of the effusion 
of the Holy Spirit was to sons and daughters, ser- 
vants and handmaidens. The promise of the Spirit 
is as positive to the daughters and handmaidens, as to 
the sons and servants. And Peter says (verse 39), 
" For the promise is to you and your children, and 
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our 
God shall call." Then where is the authority for say- 
ing that females should not receive a gift of the Holy 
Spirit in these last days ? Yerily God hath promised 
it ; and we would to God that more of his hancb- 
maidens were endued with power from on high. 



128 SILENCING WOMEN IN WORSHIPING ASSEMBLIES. 

The prophetess, Anna, testified to the coining of the 
Messiah, as did also Elizabeth, the mother of John 
the Baptist. It was a woman to whom that clear ex- 
position of worship was given at Jacob's well ; and 
she immediately commenced inviting others to come 
and see a man that had told her all that ever she did. 
Is not this, said she, the Christ ? And so effectually 
did she preach Christ, that many believed from her 
testimony, and sought him for themselves. And how 
many there are in these days that can say that it was 
under the exhortations or prayers of females that they 
were led to consecrate themselves to God. 

It was a woman that first announced the glorious 
tidings of the resurrection of our blessed Lord ; and 
let it be remembered that these "glad tidings " were 
preached to the apostles themselves, who at that time 
were sunk into despair. They were then scattered as 
sheep without a shepherd, and all their prospects 
were involved in gloom. How cheering then the 
message Jesus sends by a woman, Go to my brethren 
and say unto them, I ascend to my Father and to 
your Father, etc. John xx. 17. Priscilla, as well as 
Aquila, instructed the eloquent Apollos more per- 
fectly in the nature of the gospel dispensation. 

We are informed on the authority of divine revela- 
tion that male and female are one in Christ Jesus , 
thnt in the relation in which they both stand to him, 
the distinction is as completely broken down as be- 



SILENCING WOMEN IN WORSHIPING ASSEMBLIES. 129 

tween Jew and Gentile, bond and free. Thus reve- 
lation has made known the important truth, and rea- 
son will bear testimony to the same thing. The mind 
of the female is certainly susceptible of all those sen- 
sibilities, affections, and improvements which consti- 
tute the Christian character. And experience has 
proved that many females have possessed the natural 
qualifications for speaking in public, the range of 
thought, the faculty of communicating their ideas in 
appropriate language, the sympathy with suffering 
humanity, a deep and lively sense of gratitude to 
God, and of the beauty of holiness, a zeal for the 
honor of God, and the happiness of his rational crea- 
tures — all these are found among the female part of 
the human family, as frequently and as eminently as 
among the men. Then let no stumbling-block be 
thrown in their way, but let them fill the place that 
God calls them to fill, and not be bound down to 
silence by church rules, but let their tongues speak 
forth the praises of God, point sinners to the Lamb 
of God, and grieve not the Holy Spirit by silence in 
the congregation. 

" The lips that utter gentle words 
Have a music all their own, 
And more I prize a kindly voice 
Than music's sweetest tone." 



130 



CLEAR THE TRACK ! 




CLEAR THE TRACK! 

u Cry aloud, ye sons of men, 
Like a trumpet, lift your voice, 
To my people show their sin, 
And the guilt of Jacob's house." 

" By whom shall Jacob arise V " Who will rise up for me against fat 
evil doers ? or who will stand up for me against the workers of ini* 
quity ?" 

IN THE POWER OF THE CHURCH ? 

Certainly it is in her power, if she do her duty, 
walk in the light as God is in the light, rise and shine, 
put on her beautiful robes of white, to cast out the 
bond-woman, slay the serpent of serpents, chain Sa- 
tan to the bottomless pit. It is in the power of the 
church, united as one man, going forth to battle in 



CLEAR THE RTACK ! 131 

% God's strength, to clear the track, storm the fort, 
sweep the deck, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, 
cast out devils, heal all manner of spiritual sickness 
and disease. It is in the power of God's professed 
people, in the strength and wisdom of redeeming and 
sanctifying grace, to carry the warfare into the very 
heart of the enemy's country, subdue kingdoms, and 
cause Satan to fall as lightning from heaven. 

It is in the power of the church, clad in God's com- 
plete armor, baptized into gospel fullness, to chase a 
thousand, and put ten thousand to flight. It is in the 
power of God's people, having the shield of faith, 
filled with the Holy Spirit, to banish slavery, intem- 
perance, Sabbath desecration, licentiousness, a corrupt 
press, and every wicked abomination, and send forth 
light and salvation to the ends of the earth. Slavery 
could not long exist, live, and breathe, were it not 
baptized by a conservative, dough-faced church and 
priesthood. 

Intemperance in strong drink and tobacco could 
not long exist, were it not upheld, more or less, by a 
sensual, wicked, man-fearing, time-serving church 
and ministry. 

Sabbath-breaking could not long exist, were it not 
perpetuated and connived at by a slothful, ungodly 
church and ministry. 

Novel-selling and novel-reading could not long ex 
ist, were it not upheld and patronized by those having 



132 CLEAR THE TRACK ! 

a name to live, and are dead, lovers of pleasure, # 
more than lovers of God. Idolatry in dress and equi- 
page could not long exist were it not sustained by an 
idolatrous church and ministry. So with every evil. 

It is in the power of the church, filled with the 
love of Christ, clad in the full armor of God's right- 
eousness, to cause the earth to blossom as the rose, 
salvation to go forth as the light of the morning, and 
angels to rejoice anew — " glory to God in the highest, 
peace on earth and good-will to man." 

O what guilt, mountain-weight, rests upon the 
church ! Will not God visit for this % 

What iniquity is there that is not upheld, sustained, 
perpetuated by the professed followers of the Lord 
Jesus Christ ? It is a settled question that slavery — 
the traffic in men's bodies and souls — could not exist 
six months were not this " sum of all villanies " sus- 
tained in the church. This is the testimony of Al- 
bert Barnes. The Sabbath milk traffic (one among 
the great nuisances in our cities, an open violation of 
a positive precept) would cease forever, were it not 
upheld by the example of church-members. The 
same is true of car, omnibus, and steamboat riding, 
shaving, hair-cutting, boot-blacking, paper-hawking, 
and post-office visiting on the Lord's day. The mak- 
ing, circulating, and reading the literary serpents, 
novels, romances ; the light, trashy, nonsensical pub- 
lications, one of the greatest curses that ever visited 



" THOU SHALT NOT STEAL." 133 

* God's earth, would early be consigned to the pit of 
hell, where they originated, were not this super- 
abounding, God-defying iniquity clasped to the bosom 
by people professing Christianity ! 

Again, if all professing Christians did their duty 
at the polls, obeyed God in the choice of rulers, would 
our nation now be reeling to and fro, like a drunken 
man, on dark damnation's brink ? 

" Up, then, in Freedom's manly part. 
***** 

And on the nation's naked heart 

Scatter the living coals of Truth 1 
Up — while ye slumber, deeper yet 

The shadow of our fame is growing. 
Up — while we pause our sun may set 

In blood, around our altars flowing ! 

Oh ! rouse ye, ere the storm comes forth — 

The gather'd wrath of God and man — 
Like that which wasted Egypt's earth, 

When hail and fire above it ran. 
Hear ye no warnings in the air ? 

Feel je no earthquake underneath ? 
Up — up — why will ye slumber, where 

The sleeper only walks in death ?" 



•000= 

"THOU SHALT NOT STEAL." 

Exod. xx. 15. 

"Basest and meanest of all sins is theft: 
To take thy neighbor's property, or aught 
That's his ; to practice fraud upon thyself 
By idleness or waste ; or by deceit, 
Concealment, peculation, breach of trust, 
To practice it on others. Aim to be 
In all thy dealings upright. True it is, 
' An honest man 's tho noblest work of God !' n 



134 DUMB DEVILS. 



DUMB DEYILS. 

In our Saviour's time there were dumb devils, and 
he cast them out. Are there not many— very many 
even now, in church and state, else why this silence ? 
What makes folks dumb when no malformation ex- 
ists — when the organs of speech are perfect ? What 
makes so many professing Christians dumb ? minis- 
ters, editors, missionary boards, conventions, general 
assemblies, general conferences, synods, tract societies, 
and Sunday school unions? Are there not dumb 
devils many, hereabouts ? It is said Mary Magdalene 
had seven devils cast out, but here, in the instances 
alluded to, there are not only seven devils, but seventy 
times seven devils — a legion ! 

When Christ was upon earth, " Behold, they brought 
to him a dumb man, possessed with a devil. And 
when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake ; and 
the multitudes marveled, saying, it was never so seen 
in Israel." Matt. ix. 32, 33. This man that was 
dumb, could not speak because a devil was in him, an 
evil spirit. Are there not now dumb devils in church 
members of good standing ? In our prayer and con- 
ference meetings, lips are closed, no audible voice in 
prayer or testimony is heard from many ; sinners also 
perish before their eyes, and not a syllable of warning 
is heard ! Is there not a dumb devil here to be cast 



DUMB DEVILS. 135 

out ? Very many religious parents seem to be pos- 
sessed with a dumb devil — their lips are closed while 
their children are on the road to ruin ! "Very many 
editors and ministers seem to be infected with this 
dumb devil. On the most vital questions of reform 
and salvation, their lips are closed. This dumb devil 
prevails especially on points of theology and reform, 
where popularity, the purse, or a good reputation are 
placed before the mind conspicuously, — a good par- 
sonage, a fat salary. The false prophets that fed at 
Jezebel's table are among this class. See 1 Kings. 
Isaiah also alludes briefly to these dumb devils, chap, 
lvi. 10. 

When the seven devils were cast out of Mary Mag- 
dalene, her tongue was loosed for God evermore — her 
whole soul was alive for Christ and his cause. When 
the devil was cast out of the dumb man alluded to, 
possessed with the devil, the dumb man spake, glo- 
rified God. None but God is able to cast out these 
dumb devils. " Where the Spirit of the Lord is, 
there is liberty." Never will our mouths be open 
fully for God, to glorify him in all things, declare all 
the words of this life, till our hearts are cleansed — 
till these dumb devils are all cast out ; then, " Glory 
to God in the highest, peace on earth, and good will 
to man." 



136 



THE SEKPENT OF SEKPENTS ! 




THE SERPEIT OP SERPENTS! 



Better place a serpent in the hands of your chil 
dren, or on your centre tables, than the light, popular 
readings of the day — Harper, Godey, Peterson, Leslie, 
the Ledger, and the whole catalogue of sugar-coated 
poisons. A serpent, or a stinging adder, is far less 
dangerous. We flee from a living serpent with forked 
tongue, run — escape for our life ; but a serpent in the 
form of a book or paper, though the poison is far more 
deadly than that of the crawling reptile, does not 
alarm us. The serpents are coiled unseen, till the 
poisonous forked tongue darts forth — or if seen, in 
comely form, in the garb of pleasure, with fair face 
and flattering lips — 

" And underneath her eyelids sat a kind 
Of witching sorcery ; that nearer drew, 
Whoever with unguarded look beheld ; 



THE SERPENT OF SERPENTS! 137 

And seeming free of all disguise ; her song 
Enchanting ; and her words which sweetly dropped, 
As honey from the comb, most large of promise, 
Still prophesying days of new delight." 

Some parents tell us a novel, a love tale, a silly ro- 
mance, something fictitious and highly exciting, tend 
to form a taste for reading. Children will fall in love 
with romance and the comical, when publications of 
a more serious, solid, and historical character would 
be insipid, tasteless, or repulsive. 

Thus, these mixed publications of a light, novel, 
and vicious tendency, are placed in their hands, and 
a taste formed in early life for corrupt literature, to 
the exclusion of the Bible, and everything of a truly 
virtuous and purifying tendency : 

" Vice is a monster of such frightful mien, 
That, to be hated, needs but to be seen, 
But seen too oft, familiar with its face, 
We first endure, then pity, then embrace." 

This Satanic policy is destroying multitudes innu- 
merable. 

" How shall I speak thee, or thy power address, 
Thou god of our idolatry, the Press ! 
By thee, religion, liberty, and laws 
Exert their influence and advance their cause : 
By thee, worse plagues than Pharaoh's land befell, 
Diffused, make earth the vestibule of hell ! 
Thou fountain, at which drink the good and wise; 
Thou ever-bubbling spring of endless lies! 
Like Eden's dread probationary Tree — 
Knowledge of good and evil is from thee 1 



138 THE SERPENT OF SERPENTS ! 

"Very many ministers reprobate novel reading, ro- 
mances, love tales, foolish anecdotes and comicals, 
and still leave us in the dark, never specify or aim a 
blow at the serpent's head. It's not the vile Eugene 
Sue, or a corrupt Bulwer that now do the mischief, 
scattering firebrands, arrows, and death, but the 
snakes in the grass, the sugar-coated poisons, the 
fashionable, fascinating popular readings — the mixed 
publications, the bitter and the sweet intermingled 

Satan transforms himself into an angel of light. 
Editors, beloved, are you aware of the mischief you 
are doing in giving favorable notice of these popular 
works of fiction? The man that writes novels, pub- 
lishes novels, sells novels, and puffs novels, may look 
for novel readers in his own family. And that same 
novel writer, publisher, seller and puffer, may meet 
the curses of his children as eternity rolls on and on ! 
where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. 

Friends, you that traffic in these literary serpents, 
the popular, fascinating weeklies and monthlies that 
are flooding and cursing our land, mark well the 
words of Christ, " with what measure ye mete, it shall 
be measured to you again." Rumsellers find this pas- 
sage literally true — the curses they impart often 
return tenfold upon their own pates, into their own 
bosoms. Very many children of those who traffic in 
liquid death and distilled damnation become ine- 
briates, bloated sots, and find a drunkard's grave. 



WELL SPENT HOURS. 139 

Fathers, mothers, sons and daughters, all find a com- 
mon hell of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. 
So may it be with these dealers in intellectual poisons, 
that intoxicate the mind, corrupt the heart, pollute 
the soul — sink it lower than the grave ! ' He that 
soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." 
" They have sown the wind, and they shall reap the 
whirlwind." — Hos. viii. 7. 



WELL SPENT HOURS. 

" And what, O what is good ?" 
'Tis first to seek the favor of thy God ; 
Let thy will blend with his, and honor him 
By walking in the way thy Saviour trod. 

And then it is whate'er 
Tendeth to raise thy heart and hopes on high, 
Or to make others happier here 
On earth to live, and peacefully to die. 

Go wipe from sorrow's eye 
The burning tear, go aid the poor and lone, 
Yisit the sick, the stricken mourner cheer, 
And O ! of Jesus tell the erring one. 

Or it may only be 
A cup of water to some wanderer given, 
A word, a smile, but 'twill be written — Good ! 
On the great record of thy life in heaven. 



140 DUTY, DUTY DO YOUR DUTY. 

DUTY, DUTY-DO YOUR DUTY.- 

" Speak thou as duty bids thee, truthful words ! 
If danger threatens, still be bravely true ; 
Trust thou in Him who rules the raging floods, 
And thou shalt triumph o'er the billows too." 

Duty is the thing — every thing — at home and 
abroad, in the house and out of it ; in the parlor, the 
kitchen, the field, the workshop — in prosperity, in 
adversity, in sickness, in health — in the sanctuary, the 
Bible class, the Sabbath school, the class meeting, the 
social circle for prayer and praise. Do your duty in 
all places, under all circumstances; husbands and 
wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, min- 
isters and people, male and female, little folks and 
great folks, men-servants and maid-servants, in every 
station and occupation, be sure and do your duty. 
The path of duty is the path of safety. Go forward, 
'mid opposition, persecution, fire and water: shrink 
not, stem the flood, be firm, resolute, determined, un- 
flinching, let nothing prevent from duty — not all the 
hosts of darkness, wicked men and devils, Satan and 
all his legions, push forward in duty, never fail, come 
life or death. Duty, in the strength of God is our 
life, our prosperity, our happiness — happiness here, 
happiness forever ! Our hope for life eternal depends 
on duty. The moment we omit any known duty, 
great or small, in public or private, to God or man, 



DUTY, DUTY DO YOUR DUTY. 141 

that moment we lose ground. Sinner, do you believe 
it? Christian, do you? Ministers, do you? Edi- 
tors, do you ? You know it, feel it, rue it — the 
father, the mother, the son, the daughter — the law- 
yer, the doctor, the statesman, the city councillor. 
Every one neglecting duty to God and man, feels that 
he has left open a gap. Above all, the Christian feels 
it to his sorrow, his grief, his spiritual loss — in the 
withdrawal of heavenly, saving, sanctifying influences. 
Let a minister keep back any part of the price, fail in 
a single instance of declaring all the words of this life, 
and the whole heavens frown — stand aghast — hell 
claps her hands, devils are in jubilee. 

" Toil in thy Master's vineyard ! watch and pray ! 
Toil for thy race, for whom the Saviour bled ; 
Let His example cheer thee on the way, 
And, if He bids thee, toil for daily bread." 

Let the Christian neglect his closet, his family du- 
ties, holy discipline, prayer and praise — what now ? 
Any hope, comfort, consolation? Duty is all, every- 
thing. Friends, go forward in duty, in God's 
strength, wisdom, grace. Go forward everywhere — 
go forward. God will bless, fill you with love — bless 
you here, bless you forever. Go forward! 

" Duty be thy polar guide ; 
Do the right whate'er betide! 
Haste not I rest not! conflicts past, 
God shall crown thy work at last." 




THE CRYSTAL FOUNT TUN'. 



THE CKYSTAL FOUNTAIN. 143 



THE CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN. 

4 Of drinks, I know but one which nature owns, 
As wholly suited to her several wants ; — 
And this is WATER. Cold and unconeoct 
"With heat or other mixture, I would give 
It fresh and sparkling from its crystal font, 
To quench the thirst of every thing that lives." 

If, therefore, you wish for a clear mind, strong 
muscles, and quiet nerves, long life, and power pro- 
longed into old age, permit us to say : Avoid all 
drinks but water, and mild infusions of that fluid ; 
shun tobacco and opium, and every thing else that 
disturbs the normal condition of the system ; rely 
upon nutritious food and mild dilutent drinks, of 
which water is the basis ; and you will need nothing' 
beyond these things, except rest and the moral regu- 
lation of all your powers, to give you long, happy, 
and useful lives, and a serene evening at the close. 
• 

" All hail to pure cold water, 

That bright rich gem from heaven 1 
And praise to the Creator, 

For such a blessing given ! 
And since it comes in fnllness, 

We'll prize it yet the more ; 
For life, and health, and gladness 

It spreads the wide earth o'er." 



1U 



EUMS DOINGS, 



j^f*^^ 



RUM'S DOINGS- 

Hath he not murdered our mothers — 

Brought their gray locks to the tomb ? 
Hath he not murdered our brothers, 

Yet in their manhood's bloom ? 
Hath he not coiled on our hearth-stones, 

Hissing with Upas breath ? 
On ! on to the warfare, brothers ! 

Nor cease till he writhes in death I" 

THE AWFUL DOOM ! 

Distillers, grog-sellers, saloon 
keepers, and hotel keepers, will 
you read your awful doom in 

THE RUM-SELLEr's DREAM. 

" Well, wife, this is too horrid : 
I cannot continue this business any longer." 
" Why, dear, what is the matter now ?" 
" O such a dream, such a rattling of dead men's 
bones, and such an army of starved mortals, so many 
murders, such cries, and shrieks, and yells, and such 
horrid gnashing of teeth, and glaring eyes, and such 
a blazing tire, and such devils — oh ! I cannot endure 
it. My hair stands on end, and I am so filled with 
horror I can scarcely speak. Oh, if I ever sell rum 




as;ain : 



P? 



" My dear, you are frightened." 
" Yes, indeed, I am ; another such a night will I 
not pass for worlds." 



rum's doings. 14:5 



v 



" My dear, perhaps- 

" Oh, don't talk to me. I am determined to have 
nothing more to do with rum, anyhow. Don't you 
think Tom Wilson came to me with his throat cut 
from ear to ear, and such a horrible gash, and it was 
so hard for him to speak, and so much blood ; and 
says he, ' See here, Joe, the result of rum-selling.' 
My blood chilled at the sight, and just then the house 
seemed to turn bottom up, the earth opened, and a 
little imp took me by the hand, saying, ' Follow me.' 
As I went, grim devils held out to me cups of liquid 
fire, saying, ' Drink this.' I dare not refuse. Every 
draught set me in a rage. Serpents hissed on each 
side, and from above reached down their heads and 
whispered, 4 Hum-seller.^ On and on, the imp led 
me through the narrow pass. All at once he paused 
and said, ' Are you dry V ' Yes,' I replied. Then he 
struck a trap-door with his foot, and down, down we 
went, and legions of fiery serpents followed us, whis- 
pering, ' Drunkard, drunkard.' At length we stopped 
again, and the imp asked me as before, ' Are you dry ?' 
' Yes,' I replied. 

He then touched a spring, a door flew open, there 
were thousands of old worn out rum-drinkers, crying 
most piteously, ' Rum, rum, give me some rum.' 
When they saw me they stopped a moment to see 
who I was. Then the imp cried out, so as to make 
all shake again, ' Rum-seller? And, hurling me in, 

7 



146 RUM'S DOINGS. 

shut the door. For a moment they fixed their fero- 
cious eyes upon me, and then uttered a united yell, 
Damn him, — which filled me with terror. I awoke. 
There, wife, dream or no dream, I will never sell an- 
other drop of the infernal stuff." 

" Woe to him that buildeth his house by unright- 
eousness, and his chambers by wrong." 

" The judgment throne was set. On either hand 
All living mortals stood before the Judge. 
There stood the drunkard — there his murderer ! 
4 Ha !' cried the drunkard, ' art thou here at last ? 
I have been looking long to see thee here !' 
The man of blood shrank back ! — 
* The hour of settlement has come— 
Come to this bar, and we will close accounts — 
The farm you robbed me of; how much for that ? 
My wife and children killed ; how much for them ? 
My body crushed, my hopes; for them how much? 
And how much for my soul, now doomed to hell ? 
Nay, start not back 1' " 

Care for it ? — Does the manufacturer and trafficker 
in alcoholic drinks care how much he helped 

" The wife's fond heart to break, 

Aud caused the children's tears to flow ; 
Helps this world a hell to make, 
And fit men for a hell below ?" 

Behold the wretched, downcast look of the inebriate 
in the engraving ! Guilty ? Verily the curse of God 
is upon him ! " Wine is a mocker, strong drink is 
rasrino;, and whosoever is deceived thercbv is not wise." 
Prov. xx. 1. And yet, guilty as he is, he is innocent 



COUNT THE COST. 147 

compared with him who deals out sparkling death and 
damnation for filthy lucre. " Wo to him that giveth 
his neighbor drink." But behold the man in the 
picture, and take warning. 



cCCO 



COUXT THE COST. 

What ardent spirits have done in the United States 
in ten years : 

It has made at least one hundred thousand maniacs. 

It has destroyed one hundred thousand lives. 

It has sent one hundred thousand children to the 
poor house. 

It has cost the nation an indirect expense of six 
hundred million dollars. 

It has instigated the commission of one thousand 
murders. 

It has made two hundred thousand widows and one 
million of orphans. 

It has burned, or otherwise destroyed, property to 
the amount of ten millions of dollars. 

It has caused more sickness and suffering in the 
world than famine, pestilence, and the sword. 

It has consigned at least one hundred and fifty thou- 
sand persons to jails and penitentiaries. 



14:8 WHITE LIES AND BLACK LIES. 



* 



WHITE LIES AlfD BLACK LIES. 

A DIALOGUE. 

" A little theft, a small deceit, 
Too often leads to more ; 
'Tis hard at first, but tempts the feet 
As through an open door. 

Just as the broadest rivers run 

From small and distant springs, 
The greatest crimes that men have done, 

Have grown from little things." 

IS IT NOT A LIE? 

u All liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire 
and brimstone — this is the second death." 

Conversation between Slipshod and TimeweU. 

T. Good morning, neighbor Slipshod, I have a 
message for you. 

S. Speak on ! 

T. The things concerning you are not good. Re- 
port says you vow and pay not. 

S. Lie! Tell a lie? 

T. Did you not promise to do that work for neigh- 
bor Simpkins ? 

8. I did. 

T. The time specified ? 

S. It was. 

T. That money due brother Larkin — was not the 
exact time for refunding it specified ? 

S. Well ! 



WHITE LIES AND BLACK LIES. 149 

T. In either of the above cases did you render 
satisfactory reasons for non-compliance ? 

S. Perhaps not; but do you call this lying? 

T. What is a lie ? 

S. A criminal falsehood ! — willful deception ! — in- 
tentional fraud ! — a — a — a — 

T. Stop, stop, neighbor, stop ! no wincing. Lies 
are of various kinds, of various degrees of aggrava- 
tion. There are black lies and white lies, lies of 
vanity, pride, ambition, flattery, convenience, inter- 
est, fear, wantonness, cruelty ; lies of first, second, 
and third-rate malignity. There are also passive or 
practical lies — lies acted out. Point your finger in a 
wrong direction to an inquiring traveler — you give 
him the lie. 
S. Yery well ! 

T. Again. Some are habitual liars — lie at nearly 
every breath — like the common swearer, he swears and 
knows it not. " Mr. Timewell, will vou let me have 
that barrel of lime," said neighbor Slipout. " On 
my word," said he, " I'll pay you next week." Some 
six months have elapsed, and not a farthing for the lime 
yet ; nor do I ever expect it. Accuse this same man 
of stealing, would he not take it as an insult ? Still, 
in the eye of God's law, he is a thief — cutting asun- 
der the silken cords of social, civil, and religious com- 
pact — spreading widely the seeds of discord and ruin. 
Now, Mr. Slipshod, I am not accusing you of lies of 



150 WHITE LIES AND BLACK LIES. 

the first-rate malignity ; far from it. But are you 
not openly violating a positive precept, the law of 
love, sundering the tenderest and dearest ties of 
friendship? Besides, there is an item (else I mistake) 
that renders your case peculiarly aggravating. 

S. Friend Timewell, to what do you allude ? 

T. You profess to be a Christian ? 

8. I do. 

T. Pray in the social circle, I suppose ? 

S. Certainly. 

T. Exhort sometimes ? 

S. Occasionally. 

T. Well, what does the world think of you, and 
especially those individuals whom you have defrauded 
— whose spirits you have often grieved — and to whom 
you have falsified your word again and again ? What 
effect think you, your prayers and exhortations will 
have upon their minds ? Your voice to them is like 
the crackling of thorns under a pot ! They must (and 
every one that knows you, will) necessarily write 
down your name, HYPOCEITE ! HYPOCRITE ! ! 
Now, Mr. Slipshod, before we part, allow me to say 
to you in good faith, that these " white lies," these 
sins you term venial, are the little foxes that destroy 
the vines. They eat, as doth a canker, — grieve the 
Holy Spirit — deaden the conscience, and cause the 
ways of Zion to be evil spoken of. I beseech you, in 
the name of God, as you value your own soul, the 



SUMMER. 151 

best interests of the community, the honor of God in 

the salvation of a perishing world — repent of this thy 

great wickedness — REPENT ! make restitution, and 

henceforth be an honest man. 

" Shame results from little sinnings — 
Mighty ends from small beginnings, 
Take care ! take care I 



CO 



SUMMER. 

We now are reminded by the prospect around, 

The day of redemption is near, 
When all who now sleep in the dust of the ground, 

The voice of our Saviour will hear. 

As the trees now put forth, the verdure looks green, 

We know that the Summer is near ; 
All the signs of our Saviour's approach have been 
seen, 

And we know that He soon must appear. 

Now the life-giving season of Spring is clean gone, 
With blessings unnumbered 'twas crowned, 

And the beautiful season of summer is come, 
How cheering the prospect around. 

But how dim, when compared with the world that's 
to come, 

When free from all sorrow and pain, 
When the triumphant song of redemption is sung — 

When the earth no more covers her slain. 



152 THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. 




THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. 

■ The tongue deviseth mischiefs ; like a sharp razor working deceitfully. 11 

Psa. lii. 2. 

The offences of the tongue are very -numerous — 
vain talking and jesting, ribaldry, indecent allusions 
and insinuations, deception, lying, detraction, back- 
biting, tale-bearing, reviling, slandering, flattery, and 
profaneness. What a catalogue ! And the half is 
not told. 

u Like a moral pestilence, 
"Selorr ins breath the healthy shoots and blooms 
Of social joy and happiness, decay." 

I fcweai not; an oath is like a dangerous dart, 
Which, shot, rebounds to strike the shooter's heart." 

'Dare to be true ; nothing can need a lie , 
A fault which needs it most grows two thereby." 

II First think ; and if thy thoughts approve thy will, 
Then speak ; and, after, that thou speakest fulfill." 

" Every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of ser- 
pents, and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been 
tamed of mankind ; but the tongue can no man tame ; 
it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." James vii. 8. 

This same mischief-maker, or Unruly member, the 



THE MISCHIEF-MAKER. 153 

tongue, that " setteth on fire the course of nature, and 
is set on fire of hell," is never more mischievous than 
when engaged in tattling, backbiting, or speaking evil 
of others. 

" Oh ! could there in this world be found 
Some little spot of happy ground, 
Where village pleasures might go round 

Without the village tattling ! 
How doubly blest that spot would be, 
Where all might dwell in liberty, 
Free from the bitter misery 
Of gossips' endless prattling." 

In all the black catalogue of vices which unhappily 
darken the character of the sons and daughters of 
Adam, tattling well nigh holds the preeminence. ■ It 
is the meanest, the most detestable of all habits, and 
when once acquired, clings with the tenacity of life. 
With it are connected many other vices of fearful 
import. 

The rabid dog let loose in a community to bite 
whatever man or beast he meets, is not more danger- 
ous than the tattler. The dog kills only what he 
bites individually, while the tattlers venom poisons 
the whole community. He goes to a neighbor and 
perchance hears something said to the disparagement 
of another ; he listens with avidity, and drinks down, 
as the thirsty toper does the fiery fluid, and then goes 
forth to wallow in the slough of tattling. 

The peace of society is marred by this enemy, con- 
fidence is destroyed, friends become foes, and uproar, 

7* 



154 MANFEARINO. 

confusion, and all the diabolical schemes of the father 
of lies are set forth to destroy every thing which is 
lovely and of good report. The tattler can be well 
compared to the viper in the fable, which, warmed 
and brought to life by the care of the kind-hearted 
gentleman, stung to the heart his preserver. 

" Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer 
among thy people." " "Whoso privily slandereth his 
neighbor, him will I cut off." 

" 'Tis wondrous strange, and yet 'tis true, 
That some folks take delight 
The deeds of other men to view, 
As if their own were right. 

And if a piece of news comes out, 

They'll eagerly pursue it ; 
Then hand the charming dish about, 

And add a little to it. 

Each fault they'll try to magnify, 

Yet seeming to bemoan 
The mote within a brother's eye, 

Are blinded to their own." 



MANFEABIHG. 

" The fear of man bringeth a snare." Says the be- 
loved J. Byle : " It is terrible to observe the power 
which this fear of man has over most minds. Few 
seem to have any opinions of their own, or to think 
for themselves. Like dead fish, they go with the stream 
and tide : what others think right, they think right ; 



MANFEARESTG. 155 

and what others call wrong, they call wrong too. 
There are not many original thinkers in the world. 
Most men are like sheep, they follow a leader. If it 
was the fashion of the day to be Romanists, they would 
be Romanists ; if to be Mohammedans, they would be 
Mohammedans. They dread the idea of going against 
the current of the times. In a word, the opinion of the 
day becomes their religion, their creed, their Bible, 
and their God. The thought, What will my friends 
say or think of me % nips many a good inclination in 
the bud. The fear of being observed upon, laughed at, 
ridiculed, prevents many a good habit being taken up. 
There are Bibles that would be read this very day, if 
the owners dared. They know they ought to read them, 
but they are afraid : what will people say ? There are 
knees that would be bent in prayer this very night, but 
the fear of man forbids it : what would my wife, my 
brother, my friend, my companion, say, if they saw me 
praying ? Alas ! what wretched slavery this is, and 
yet how common ! 

" Remember the words of the Lord Jesus : c Fear 
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul ; but rather fear him who is able to destroy 
both soul and body in hell.' Matt. x. 28. Only try 
to please God, and he can soon make others pleased 
with you. ' When a man's ways please the Lord, he 
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.' 
Prov. xvi. 7. 



156 TELLING JESUS. 

TELLING JESUS. 

" They took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus." 

" Go and tell Jesus when thy heart is full 
Of keen and bitter agony and woe ; 
When the dear, precious form of one beloved 
Is parted from thee ; in the grave laid low ; 
Go and tell Jesus — He will soothe thy grief — 
To thy poor suffering spirit bring relief." 

Are you bereaved? have you lost a husband, a 
wife, a father, a mother, a son, or a daughter, one 
dear as your own life ? " Go and tell Jesus." He 
will bind up the broken heart, weep with you as he 
did with Martha and Mary at the grave of Lazarus. 

Are you troubled on every side, tempest-tossed ? 
Tell Jesus all about it : he will say to the raging bil- 
lows, " Peace, be still," and there will be a great 
calm. 

" When the clouds are gathering o'er thee, 
And the path looks dark before thee ; 
When thy feet are worn and weary, 
And thy way seems long and dreary, 
Go to Jesus." 

Are you tempted to pride, vainglorying, to think 
more highly of yourself than you ought ? Take this 
serpent of serpents to Jesus, nail it to his cross. " I 
am the Lord : that is my name : And my glory will 
I not give to another, neither my praise to graven 
images." Isa. xlii. 8. " Let him that glorieth, glory 
in the Lord." 



TELLING JESUS. 157 

Are you bowed down under manifold temptations ? 
Go to Jesus with them, lay them at his feet — " Cast 
all your care upon him, for he careth for you." 

44 Look unto Jesus, when thine aching heart 
Is with remembrance of its sin opprest : 

He careth for t hee : weary as thou art, 
And heavy laden, he will give thee rest. 

Look to thy Saviour ; he has ransom'd thee, 

And paid thy debt of sin on Calvary." 

Are you joyful in God % Is your soul on fire with 
holy love ? 

41 Go and tell Jesus, when thy heart is glad, 
And hope, and joy, and friendship crowd thy way, 
Ask for his sanctifying grace o'er all, 
That naught may cause thy heart from them to stray ; 
Go and tell Jesus, making joy more bright, 
Shedding o'er all thy path a holy light." 

" This going to Jesus, and telling Jesus all that is 
in our hearts, little things and great things," says 
President A. Mahan, " is the secret of all holy living, 
the preeminent piety of Paul and the primitive Chris- 
tians. It is explained in one single expression of the 
sacred writer, ' Looking unto Jesus, the author and 
finisher of our faith.' They were ' determined to 
know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified.' 
They literally ' counted all things but loss, for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our 
Lord.' He w r as their 4 wisdom,' their ' righteousness,' 
their i sanctification,' and ' redemption.' Tie was 
their consolation in affliction. He was their pattern, 



158 TELLING JESUS. 

their leader ^ and guide. He was their victory in every 
conflict with the ' world, the flesh, and the devil.' 
He was their joy, their hope, their inheritance, their 
shield, and their ' exceeding great reward.' He was 
their ' bright and morning star,' the magnet of their 
souls, which held all the powers of their being in a 
blissful fixedness to one changeless centre. 

" Now, Christian, if you will believe it, Christ will 
be to you all that he was to them. ' He is the same 
yesterday, to-day, and for ever ;' and you may share 
as they did in the infinite fullness of the love and grace 
of Christ. But if you would enjoy this full redemp- 
tion, the powers of your being must be brought under 
the influence of this one principle, ' Looking unto 
Jesus.' 

" Do your sins rise up before you, and fill you with 
apprehensions of coming retribution ? ' Look to Je- 
sus.' Do you desire to be freed from the power of 
sin, and be presented to God - without spot, or wrin- 
kle, or any such thing V i Look to Jesus.' Are you 
burdened with care, or do the storms of affliction 
gather around you ? ' Look to Jesus.' Is your tem- 
per unsubdued, do your appetites and propensities 
rebel, and call for unhallowed gratification ? ' Look 
to Jesus.' Do you need wisdom and grace for any 
exigency whatever ? ' Look to Jesus.' Whatever 
your condition or necessities may be, hear his gracious 
voice, ' Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy 



TELLING JESUS. 159 

laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon 
you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in 
heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls.' " 

There is not a want in the sinner, but there is a 
corresponding fullness in Christ. For " it pleased the 
Father that in him should all fullness dw T ell." Is 
the sinner hungry f Let him come to Christ, and he 
shall be made to partake of the bread of life. Is he 
thirsty ? Let him come to Christ, and he shall be 
permitted to drink of the wells of salvation. Is the 
sinner sick ? Let him come to Christ, and he shall 
have life and vigor infused into his soul. Is he na- 
ked ? Let him come to Christ, and he shall receive a 
beauteous robe. Is he blind ? Let him come to 
Christ, and he shall have his eyes opened to see won- 
drous things. Is he deaf? Let him come to Christ, 
and he shall hear the voice of uncreated harmony, 
speaking peace to his happy soul ? Is the sinner bur- 
dened? Let him come to Christ, and his burden 
shall be taken away. Does he long for rest f Let 
him come to Christ, and he shall have sweet repose. 
Yes, no matter what may be the sinner's wants or 
woes, only let him come to Christ, and he shall be 
made rich and happy, throughout all time, and 
throughout all eternity. 

" Christ is the Way, the Truth, the Life divine : 
Seek thou on earth to take this Christ as thine ; 
For he that lives in Christ, in Christ shall die, 
And dwell with Christ in heaven eternally " 



160 



THE INDIAN WEED. 




THE IXDIAX WEED. 



The official catalogue of the London Exhibition, 

vol. 1, page ISO, contains the following curious re- 
marks on tobacco smoking : " The total quantity re- 
tained for home consumption in ISIS, amounted to 
nearly 17,000,000 lbs. Xorth America alone pro- 
duces annually upward of 200,000,000. The com- 
bustion of this mass of vegetable material would yield 
about 310,000,000 lbs. of carbonic acid gas ; so that 
the yearly increase of carbonic acid gas from tobacco 
smoke alone cannot be less than 1,000,000,000 lbs. ; 
a large contribution to the annual demand for this gas 



THE INDIAN WEED. 16 

made upon the atmosphere for the vegetation of tin 
world. Henceforth let none twit the smoker with 
idleness and unimportance. Every pipe is an agricul- 
tural furnace — every smoker a manufacturer of vege- 
tation, the consumer of a weed, that he may rear 
more largely his own provisions." 

The Dean of Carlisle, in a recent lecture on the use 
of tobacco, calculated that the entire world of smok- 
ers, snuffers, and ch ewers, consume 2,000,000 tons 
annually, or 4,480,000,000 lbs. weight — as much ton- 
nage as the corn consumed by 10,000,000 of English- 
men, and actually at a cost sufficient to pay for all 
the bread corn eaten in Great Britain. Five millions 
and a half of acres are occupied in its growth, chiefly 
cultivated by slave labor, the product of which at two 
pence per pound, would yield thirty-seven millions of 
pounds sterling. The time would fail to tell of the 
vast amount of smoking in Turkey and Persia. In 
India all classes and both sexes indulge in this prac- 
tice ; the Siamese both chew and smoke. In Bui- 
mah all ages practise it — ^children three years old and 
of both sexes. China equally contributes to the gen- 
eral mania ; and the advocates of the habit boast that 
about one-fourth of the human race are their clients, 
or that there certainly are 100,000,000 smokers! 

It costs more than education or religion, the army 
or navy. It costs England and America a sum suffi- 
cient to support 50,000 ministers with a salary of 



162 THE INDIAN WEED. 

$1,000; or more than 100,000 missionaries. The stu- 
dents in one college pay more than $6,000 for cigars 
yearly. It tends to idleness, poverty, strong drink, 
and the whole family of vices. It tends to debility, 
dyspepsia, palsy, cancers, insanity, delirium-tremens, 
and sudden deaths. It weaves a winding sheet around 
20 000 in our land every year ! 

It is estimated that in New York city more than 
twice the amount is puffed away in cigars than is 
expended for bread ! 

Some eighty diseases are traced by Dr. Shaw to the 
use of this vile narcotic. It injures the health of 
the body, mind, and soul! The habit is indecent — 
the example is pernicious on the rising youth. The 
expenditure is wicked, the gratification of a vitiated 
appetite. It leads to strong drink. Said a poor In- 
dian : " I want three things ; all the rum in the 
world, all the tobacco, then more rum. I smoke be- 
cause it makes me love to drink." The use of this 
poisonous drug blunts the moral sensibilities, grieves 
the Holy Spirit, hinders prayer. " I beseech you as 
strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts 
which war against the soul." 

The excuses for using the dirty tyrant are frequent. 
One uses it for his teeth; another, for his general 
health ; a third, for his corpulency ; a fourth, for his 
leanness ; a fifth, for a watery stomach ; a sixth, to 
help digestion ; another, because some ignorant, sot- 



THE INDIAN WEED. 103 

tish, wine-bibbing, tobacco-chewing or smoking doc- 
tor recommends it : — thus and thus, till the catalogue 
of excuses and subterfuges is filled out. 

It is a matter of devout and hearty thanksgiving to 
God, that the most respectable, learned, and eminently 
successful of the medical faculty, with united voice, 
veto the " accursed thing" warn their patients to lay 
it aside forever. 

" Friend, do not excuse yourself," says the Hon. 
Gerrit Smith, " by saying that some great and good 
men use tobacco. The great and good men who do 
so are in danger of sinking into very little and very 
wicked men before they die. 

" Tobacco and Rum — what twin brothers ! what 
mighty agents of Satan ! What a large share of the 
American people they are destroying ! 

" As Paul said to Timothy, so say we to you, 
' Keep thyself pure.' Be clean in your person, and 
be clean in your heart. But, depend upon it, you can 
be neither, if you use tobacco." 

" Where lurk ye, thou blot on thy race ? 

Still dwell ye with civilized men ? 
Why crawl ye not into some desolate place, 

The lair of a wolf, or a den 
In the clefts of the rocks, in the desert away 
From the gaze of mankind and the light of the day." 



164 THE LOVE OF MONET THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. 

"THE LOYE OF MOMY THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL." 

11 To purchase heaven has gold the power ? 
Can gold remove the mortal hour? 
In life can love be bought with gold ? 
Are friendship's pleasures to be sold ? 
No : all that's worth a wish or thought, 
Fair virtue gives unbribed, unbought." 

Covetotjsness, or the love of gain is the mammoth 
sin of the age, the leprosy of the soul. It sheds a 
blighting influence over the finest affections and 
sweetest comforts of mankind ; it eats like a canker 
the lite- oiood of salvation ! It closes the door to hos- 
pitality, to deeds <5f mercy, truth, benevolence and 
love. It grinds the poor, traffics in the bodies and 
souls of men, receives robbery for burnt-offering. It 
leads to quibbling, screwing, and jewing, to fraud and 
falsehood, to unjust usury. It takes advantage in 
trade, in buying and selling. It robs holy time, with- 
holds from the missionary box, starves the minister, 
perishes the soul ! 

It led Judas to betray his Master for thirty pieces 
of silver, and afterwards to commit suicide ! 

" When a weak Judas tortured by the rack 
Of conscience, till his life was made a hell, 
Rushed madly to the temple and flung back 
The bribe which tempted him his Lord to selL w 

Covetousness is idolatry, the prevailing sin of the 
world in the church and out of it, is coupled with 



THE LOVE OF MONEY THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. 165 

sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, and u whosoever 
loveth and maketh a lie," and will doubtless destroy 
more souls in hell than all other sins put together. 



" G-old banished honor from the mind, 
And only left the name behind. 
Gold sowed the world with every ill : 
Gold taught the murderer's sword to killl" 



" O man of God, flee these things, and follow 
after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, 
meekness !" " Fight the good fight ; lay hold on 
eternal life." " Godliness with contentment is great 
gain ; for we brought nothing into this world, and it 
is certain we can carry nothing out; — and having 
food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But 
they that will be rich fall into temptation, and a 
snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which 
drown men in destruction and perdition." 



Should a slander mar your fame, 

Live it down. 
Rests a blight on your good name, 

Live it down. 
Let your life but purer grow, 
All your deeds be white as snow ; 
Honor shall your efforts crown, 

Live it down. 



166 



SICK FOLKS, 




SICK FOLKS. 

Are you sick, beloved, does the hand of disease 

press heavily ? Look to God, not to the medicine or 

the administrator. The Lord can bless the simplest 

means or no means, for your restoration. Never rely 



SICK FOLKS. 167 

on means or an arm of flesh for a cure, but on God, 
the giver of all good. "Every good and perfect gift 
is from above." 

All means, all doctors, are unavailing without the 
accompanying blessing of the Most High. Wait on 
God ; seek wisdom from above. " Without me," 
says Christ, "ye can do nothing." "In all thy ways 
acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths." 
Reader, are you ill, afflicted with a painful disease ? 
What now ? — speed (post-haste) to an earthly physi- 
cian ? Stay, mortal, stay, ask God what to do ; ask 
counsel first of him in whom you live, move, have 
your being. Honor God, and God will honor you. 
Why was God displeased with king Asa in the thirty- 
ninth year of his reign, when his " disease was ex- 
ceedingly great ?" Because in his disease " he sought 
not unto the Lord, but to the physicians." See 2 
Chron. xvi. 12. " Is any sick among you ?" says the 
apostle James, " let him call for the elders of the 
church; and let them pray over him, anointing him 
with oil in the name of the Lord : and the prayer of 
faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him 
up ; and if he have committed sins they shall be for- 
given him." Sick one, look to Jesus — say unto him : 

" Saviour, come to save ! 
Speak but the word — thy servant shall be whole ; 
Turn, Lord, and look on me. Quicken my soul 

Out of this living grave." 



168 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 




THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE, UO. I. 

IN SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES. 

11 This book unfolds Jehovah's mind, 
This voice salutes in accents kind, 
This friend will all your need supply, 
This fountain sends forth streams of joy, 
This mine affords us boundless wealth, 
This good physician gives us health, 
This sun renews and warms the soul, 
This sword both wounds and makes us whole, 
This letter shows our sins forgiven, 
This guide conducts us safe to heaven, 
This charter has been sealed with blood, 
This volume is the Word of God." 

The Bible is preeminently the book of books. " It 
is a book of laws, to show the right and wrong. It 
is a book of wisdom, that makes the foolish wise. It 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 169 

is a book of truth, which detects all human errors. 
It is a book of life, which shows how to avoid ever- 
lasting death. It is the most authentic and entertain- 
ing history ever published. It contains the most re- 
mote antiquities, the most remarkable events, and 
wonderful occurrences. It is a complete code of laws. 
It is a perfect body of divinity. It is an unequaled 
narrative. It is a book of biography. It is a book 
of voyages. It is a book of travels. It is the best 
covenant ever made, the best deed ever written ; it 
is the best will ever executed, the best testament ever 
signed ; it is the young man's best companion ; it is 
the school-boy's best instructor ; it is the learned 
man's masterpiece ; it is the ignorant man's diction- 
ary ; it promises an eternal reward to the faithful and 
believing. But that which crowns all is the Author. 
He is without partiality and hypocrisy : with whom 
there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." 

Speak of this book of books ? Speak of it, dwell 
upon its excellencies, its beauties, its glories, its life- 
giving powers, the hope it gives, the faith, the peace, 
the joy — as the all and in all ? Never, while life re- 
mains, shall we cease to extol this blessed volume — 
exalt it to heaven. 

" What glor}' gilds the sacred page, 
Majestic, like the sun ; 
It gives a light to every age, 
It gives, but borrows none." 

Once induce the people to take the Bible; the old, 

8 



170 THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 

the young, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, make 
it the man of their counsel, their guide, their lamp, 
their light, their exceeding great reward ; embrace 
it, clasp it to their bosoms as their chief delight — the 
world is saved — millennial glory is here. This is the 
secret of all secrets, the only hope of a world's salva- 
tion. Departing from this blessed book has been the 
downfall, the ruin, in all ages. 

" The Bible — grand and heavenly chart, 
On which is traced the narrow road, 
Which leads the pilgrim-traveler 
Up to the realms of bliss — to God. 

The Bible is the Christian's prize, 

The source of all his happiness : 
He feeds upon its sacred truths, 

And drinks the streams of heavenly bliss." 

And yet, there are enemies of truth and righteous- 
ness, not a few, who would banish it from our fami- 
lies, our schools, our seminaries, and the world ! " If 
the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous 
do ?" How futile these attempts of Satan and his 
emissaries : " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but 
my words shall not pass away." 

God, in all ages, has raised up faithful witnesses and 
defenders of his holy word, this glorious " light that 
shineth in a dark place." Among the faithful, of the 
faithful, very few have been more faithful in defend- 
ing the Sacred Scriptures than the beloved George 
B. Cheever, pastor of the church of the Puritans on 
Union Square. 



THE BIBLE THE LIQHT, THE LIFE. 171 

The following is from the pen of this faithful ser- 
vant of the Lord Jesus, and it is worthy to be w r ritten 
in letters of gold. 

THE BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. 

" The Bible is, beyond all controversy, the best book 
of education in the world. It is the best book for the 
formation of children's minds, the best book for their 
acquisition and preservation of a pure idiomatic style 
in their native language ; the best book to promote 
and secure the purposes of family government ; the 
best book to make our children enlightened and good 
citizens of the republic ; the best book, in fine, to pre 
serve them from all evil, and train them up in all good. 

" A powerful volume might be written on its excel- 
lence as a school book, and on the importance of still 
keeping it, where our forefathers laid it, as the corner- 
stone of our invaluable system of public education. 
If you take it away, the system not only becomes 
worthless, but absolutely pernicious. Imbue a single 
rising generation with the various knowledges of our 
day, and leave out the knowledge and the fear of God 
in his word, and you have already made broad provi- 
sion for your country's ruin. You have gathered fuel 
of ambition and irreligion, which any bold mind may 
set fire to. If Lord Bacon could talk of knowledge 
alone, without the mingling of God's truth and love 
in it, as being a pernicious and dangerous aliment to 



172 THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 

older minds, much more is it dangerous and hurtful 
to the minds of children. 

" Our education needs a religious element ; for it is 
not education alone that will save us ; it will merely 
train a skillful race of gladiators for the arena of po- 
litical strife. The only source of that element of 
safety is the word of God. And if you take the word 
of God from your common schools, you are teaching 
infidelity and practical atheism to the whole nation. 
You are filling the mind with elements, that, without 
the safeguard of divine truth, are sure to become fiery, 
bitter, and poisonous. 

" In its general influence over the minds of our chil- 
dren and over the whole business of education, the 
Bible in our schools is invaluable. It is a constant 
habitual nourishment, an uninterrupted, systematic 
influence over tender minds at the most susceptible 
age — as steady, as cheerful, as healthful, as the light 
of the sun. In this way a great many children are 
blessed with the privilege of listening daily to the 
word of God, who, alas ! would never hear it read in 
the family ; and this is one highly important reason 
for maintaining it. It brings the children even of the 
abandoned, the vicious, the worthless — of families 
where no family altar is ever dreamed of — to the 
daily recognition of a heavenly Father, and the daily 
table of that bread which he has provided for the soul. 
This seems acting somewhat in the spirit of the Bible 



ENEMIES OF THE BIBLE. 173 

itself. This is writing the characters of heaven upon 
the soul deeper than all succeeding impressions. How 
beneficent, how salutary in all its enlightening and 
elevating influences is the daily and appropriate use 
of the Bible in school !" 

" The Bible ! the Bible ! blest volume of truth, 
How sweetly it smiles on the season of youth ; 
It bids us seek early the pearl of great price, 
Ere the heart is enslaved in the bondage of vice. 

" The Bible ! the Bible ! we hail it with joy, 
Its truths and its glories our tongues shall employ ; 
We'll sing of its triumphs, we'll tell of its worth, 
And send its glad tidings afar o'er the earth. 

" The Bible ! the Bible ! the valley shall ring, 
And hill-tops re-echo the notes that we sing ; 
Our banners, inscribed with its precepts and rules, 
Shall long wave in triumph, the joy of our schools." 



■ooo: 



ENEMIES OF THE BIBLE. 

The Bible, just now, is assailed by a most remark- 
able multiplicity and diversity of enemies. Atheism, 
denying God ; Atheism, doubting God ; Deism, dream- 
ing of God ; Pantheism, generalizing God ; and Poly- 
theism, analyzing God — are all, with nearly equal in- 
veteracy, still, as ever, opposed to the revelation of 
God. But, besides these ancient and gigantic hostili- 
ties, innumerable inferior and arrogant and artful agen- 
cies of infidelity are constantly at work around us, in- 
sidiously sapping the foundations of our highest and 
noblest hopes. The Bible itself is the best antidote to 
this poison. 



174 THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE.— UO. II. 

TO YOUNG CONVERTS. 

"Of all the books I study, 
I love the Bible best ; 
It tells how Jesus dwelt below, 
And was the sinner's guest," 

Established ? How ? By reading God's Book ? 
No other way possible. Is it your fervent prayer to 
be a whole-hearted, active disciple ; rooted and 
grounded in love ? triumphing over the world, the 
flesh, and the devil — rising higher and higher in all 
the fullness of redeeming love? Take the Bible, 
make it the man of your counsel, clasp it to your 
bosom, embrace it, delight in it after the inner man. 
Bead and meditate in it till you can say with the 
sweet Singer of Israel, " O how love I thy law ! it is 
my meditation all the day." . . . How sweet are thy 
words unto my taste ! Tea, sweeter than honey to 
my mouth. " Thy precepts are more desirable than 
gold, yea, than much fine gold." 

Bead the Bible, commit it to memory. Commit a 
portion of God's word every day from the Prophets, 
the Psalms, the Proverbs, or the New Testament, 
meditate upon it, revolve it, turn it over and over 
as you walk the streets, while at your meals — your 
daily labor, while on your bed, in the night watches. 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 175 

Meditate upon it day and night. What the result 
of this course ? 

God tells you the man who does this is a blessed 
man, " like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that 
bringeth forth his fruit in his season ; his leaf also 
shall not wither ; and whatsoever he doeth shall pros- 
per." Isa. i. The Bible is the Book, God's Book, " it 
is spirit, it is life" — " quick and powerful, sharper 
than any two-edged sword." 

O read this sacred treasure, ye lambs of the flock ; 
read it, pray over it, treasure it up — drink into its 
spirit, carry it out practically into every-day life — live 
it out, breathe it out. Let every thought, word, deed, 
be always and directly under the purifying, sanctify- 
ing influences of this blessed volume. 

" Here light descending from above, 
Directs our doubtful feet, 
Here promises of heavenly love, 
Our ardent wishes meet" 

Say with David : " O how love I thy law ! it is my 
meditation all the day." 

Go to the Bible for every thing. 

John Newton once said : " I have many books that 
I cannot sit down to read. They are indeed good and 
sound, but, like copper coins, there goes a great quan- 
tity to a little amount. There are silver books, and 
a very few golden books ; but I have one book worth 



176 THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 



more than all the rest. It is called the Bible, and 
that is a book of bank-notes." 

These words show the high estimate that man of 
God placed upon the Holy Scripture. Was it too 
high % Not if the Bible be the inspired book we be- 
lieve it to be. That fact conceded makes it priceless. 

" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and 
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God 
may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
works." 

Precious Bible ! With the inspired Scriptures, you 
may become wise unto salvation through faith in 
Christ. In the formation of your religious senti- 
ments, come to the Bible ; for it is profitable for doc- 
trine. In cases of correction or reproof, take the 
Bible. Would you be instructed in righteousness ? 
learn from the word. It is given that " the man of 
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all 
good w r orks." 

When the Bible is the man of your counsel, and 
Christ is formed in your soul, the hope of glory, you 
look upon the light, frothy publications in their true 
light, as sugar-coated poisons, as serpents in the grass ; 
you spurn them as dross, the bubblings of the pit. 
The Bible is not only the text-book but the test-book ; 
it searches the heart, tries the reins. Bew r are, ye 
novel-readers, beware, lest ye " be weighed in the 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 177 

balance and found wanting." Examine yourselves ; 
know ye not yourselves, how that Jesus Christ is in 
you, except ye be reprobates ? Again : if the Bible 
is to you what it ought to be, and must be to qualify 
you for the realms of light and glory, you lose all 
relish and delight for worldly pleasures, foolish talk- 
ing and jesting, the gay party, the ball-room, the 
theatre, all games of chance, chess, checkers, the card- 
table — all that is contrary to God's will, justice, 
mercy, and truth. " If any man love the w T orld, the 
love of the Father is not in him." " Know ye not 
that the friendship of the world is enmity with God ? 
"Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, 
is the enemy of God." James iv. 4. 

Once induce the people to take the Bible ; the old, 
the young, the high, the low, the rich, the poor, make 
it the man of their counsel, their guide, their lamp, 
their light, their exceeding great reward ; embrace it, 
clasp it to their bosoms as their chief delight — the 
world is saved — millennial glory is here. This is the ' 
secret of all secrets, the only hope of a world's salva- 
tion. Departing from this blessed book has been the 
downfall, the ruin, in all ages. 

" This holy book is all divine, 

To man in mercy given, 
Its truths all radiant and benign, 
With beams of holy lustre shine, 

And gild the path to heaven." 

8* 



178 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 




THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. NO. III. 

STUDYING IT SEARCHING IT. 

" This book, these sentences, these lines, 
Each word and letter, 
To me are better 
Than chains of pearl and golden mines. 

'Tis heaven transcribed and glory penned 

God's truth no doubt 

Was copied out, 
"When he this gift to men did send." 

It is a great mistake to think that there is any- 
thing good in the mere act of reading the Bible. It 
is better to read a single verse with understanding 
and feeling, than to read a whole chapter in a care- 
less and lifeless manner. 

Our Saviour said, " The words that I speak unto 
you, they are spirit and they are life." 

The command is: "Search the Scriptures; for in 
them ye think ye have eternal life ; and they are 
they which testify of me." — John v. 39. 

Search them as for hid treasures. " My son, if 



THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 179 

thou wilt receive my words, and hide my command 
ments with thee. 55 Mark the word "hide" "We 
should pray," says a holy man of God, " over every 
portion we read, for only the Spirit who indited it 
can fully explain and apply it. In reading the Scrip- 
tures we should always be on the lookout for Jesus, 
for they testify of him. Sometimes they speak plainly 
of him, and sometimes in dark sentences. In one 
place he is prefigured or typified, in another place, he 
is clearly set before us. The Scriptures without 
Christ would be like the world without the sun ; or 
like paradise without the tree of life. They testify 
of the glory of his person, the nature and perfection 
of his work, the depth and constancy of his love, his 
bright and blessed example, his glorious offices and 
relationships, his first advent to put aw^ay sin, and his 
second advent to receive his people to himself. The 
spiritual mind will find Christ in all parts of the 
word, but the carnal mind will scarcely discover him 
anywhere. Let the word of God, then, be our daily 
study, the man of our counsel, the map of our jour- 
ney, the rule of our lives, the food of our souls, the 
weapon of our defense, and our glorious heritage. 
Let us read it devoutly, examine it carefully, believe 
it heartily, make use of it constantly, and ever hold it 
fast as an invaluable possession. Blessed Spirit, do 
thou unfold the Scriptures to my mind, apply them 
to my heart, and make them the food of my soul. 



180 THE BIBLE THE LIGHT, THE LIFE. 

Lord Jesus, open thou my understanding, that I may 
understand the Scriptures. 

" Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were 
written for our learning, that we through patience 
and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."— 
Rom. xv. 4. 

It is the special duty of all, old and young, who 
would understand the truth, preach the truth, and 
live the truth, to study the Bible, make it a u lamp to 
their feet and a light to their path." There is no 
greater evil among Christian professors than that of 
neglecting a careful study of the Bible. 

" The capital error," says Burnet, in the History 
of his Own Times, " is that ministers study books 
more than men, and read divinity more in the pro- 
ductions of men than in the Scriptures." Melanc- 
thon recommends the daily study of the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, both morning and evening. Luther's daily 
study of the Scriptures is well known. It was this 
that made him strong in the Lord and in the power 
of his might. Dr. Campbell recommends the study 
of no systems of theology w T hich can have a tendency 
to warp the judgment. President Edwards testifies 
tli at a thorough acquaintance with the Scriptures is 
of very great advantage in reading doctrinal and con- 
troversial works. " With such a knowledge," lie adds, 
"I can proceed w T ith abundantly more confidence, 
and can see upon what foundation I stand," Such is 



ETERNITY. 181 

the testimony of uninspired men as to the value of 
Scripture knowledge. No wonder, then, that the in 
spired apostles urged the disciples diligently to study 
the Scriptures. These they declare are able thor- 
oughly to furnish the man of God unto every good 
word and work. 

1 'Bread of our souls, whereon we feed; 
True manna from on high ! 
Our guide and chart, wherein we read 
Of realms beyond the sky." 



■oOCX>»- 



ETERNITY. 

Thou rollest on, O deep unmeasured sea, 

Thy length and depth a mystery profound ; 
Days, weeks, years, centuries, in immensity 

Pass on, nor leave a footstep nor a sound. 
Thou lightest up thy smooth, unwrinkled brow, 

Beyond the limit of our utmost thought ; 
A shoreless space — where Ages mutely bow 

Like bubbles on thy bosom, and are not! 
"We hear a tramp of feet, we see a throng 

Of generations flashing through the gloom ; 
They fade, and others rise, and far along 

Thy caverns yawn, and Nature finds her tomb 
In thee ; but thou, nor young, nor old, art evermore 

One all-pervading space — a sea without a shore ! 



182 CLOSET WORK THE WOEK. 



CLOSET WORK THE WORK. -NO. I. 

" Sweet closet I love thee, 'tis good to be here, 
'Mid glories resplendent, and Jesus so near ; 
In business most noble at heaven's high court, 
"Where daily the saints of all nations resort." 

CLOSET DUTY — THE DUTY. 

Flee to the closet. Are you tempted ? haste to the 
closet. Are you in trouble or trial, in affliction of 
any kind? speed you to the closet. Go from the 
closet to the prayer-meeting ; from the prayer-meeting 
to the closet. Go from the closet to the sanctuary 
duties ; from the sanctuary duties to the closet. No 
one can pray well in public who does not pray much 
in the closet. Go to your closet ; visit your closet ; 
make the closet a special, a frequent resort. Go to 
your closet at early dawn, at mid-day, at even-tide. 
Commence the day in your closet. Take the Bible, 
the word of life ; meditate therein, get your soul on 
fire, the fire of God's love. Go from your closet to 
the family altar, to your daily toil. Go from your 
closet to the sanctuary, the house of prayer. No one 
is duly prepared for family, social, or public duties, 
save from the closet. Make the closet your home, 
your resort, your hiding-place, your delight, your joy. 
Young convert, visit your closet, visit it often. It is 
your safeguard, your hope. The first step to a down 
ward course is the neglect of the closet. 



CLOSET WORK — THE WORK. 183 

u Prayer is appointed to convey 

The blessing G-od designs to give ; 
Long as they live, should Christians pray— 
For only while they pray they live. 

" If pain afflict, or wrongs oppress, 
If cares distract or fears dismay, 
If guilt deject, or sin distress, 
The remedy's before thee — pray. 

" 'Tis prayer supports the soul that seeks, 

Though thought be broken, language lame, 
Pray if thou can'st, or can'st not speak — 
But pray in faith in Jesus' name." 

SivirERS in the Lord, to the closet. Delay not. 
Speed to the closet — run ! Whenever and wherever 
you see any one retiring to his closet every opportu- 
nity, rest assured there is hope, solid foundation. 

This closet work is the work ; nothing like it. No 
man or woman, single or not single, with or without 
a family, is safe, omitting these regular, stated visita- 
tions. Here's the secret of true, firm, substantial, holy 
living. No one is secure or duly prepared to face 
a frowning world, walk erect, stem the current, ex- 
hibit clearly, fully, heartily Christian stability and 
firmness, without the closet, secret retirement for de- 
vout meditation, reading God's word, self-examina- 
tion, and prayer. St. Xavier, that wonderful man of 
God, spent hours on hours on his knees in secret de- 
votion, often with the word of God before him. When 
he came forth, his face shone like an angel's. Every 
thought, word, action, bore the impress Divine. His 



184: CLOSET WORK THE WORK. 

soul was in a flame ! He spoke with great power, 
" as one having authority, not as the scribes." Sin- 
ners by thousands fell prostrate with earnest cries to 
God for mercy, " Lord save, we perish." 

Xavier on some occasions, while in the closet, was 
lost in God, carried to the third heavens. His servant 
was compelled to shake him, use physical force, to 
arouse him from these holy visions and meditations. 
This closet business, moreover, was the secret of Ten- 
nant's wonderful success. God on one occasion poured 
out his presence so powerfully on William Tennant, in 
his secret retirement, he had not strength to rise. His 
parishioners finding him thus helpless, carried him to 
the pulpit ; when he arrived he crawled up with his 
hands and knees, and when God gave him strength 
to stand, O ! what holy unction, what power, what 
words of salvation flowed from his lips. His lips were 
touched with fire from God ! fire — on fire ! 

Flee to the closet as your life, your safeguard, your 
hope, your joy. God is there, Jesus Christ, the Holy 
Spirit, salvation. No one can discharge family duties 
acceptably, household ministrations, governmental 
relations — no one can resist the wiles of the devil 
manfully, sustain an equilibrium of calm, peaceful, 
humble resignation and joyfulness, without gaining 
wisdom and strength in the closet. Wives, do you 
believe this ? Mothers, do you ? Mark well, behold, 
that mother, that daughter, coming from the closet, 



CLOSET WORK — THE WORK. 185 

with face shining holiness as did that of Moses, when 
descending the Mount of God. What now ? Pano- 
plied ? armed with helmet, sword, and shield ? her 
feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace ? 
Satan is bruised under her feet, Satan finds no lodg- 
ment, all his fiery darts are hurled in vain. She is 
clothed with humility. The graces of the Spirit shine 
forth radiantly ; love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gen- 
tleness, goodness, faith. She goes forth from the closet 
armed. Sisters, mothers, daughters, old and young, 
flee to the closet — have your regular stated seasons, 
adhere to them strictly, undeviatingly. Let no earthly 
care deprive you of these. Closet prayer is especially 
enjoined by Christ. " When thou prayest enter into 
thy closet," etc. See Matt. vi. 5. Our Saviour himself 
retired frequently to the mountain-top, spent whole 
nights in secret devotion. The most devoted men 
and women on earth, in all ages, the most active, use- 
ful, consistently holy ones, have made the closet a 
special resosfc, the stronghold of faith. We beseech 
you not to neglect your closet ; better neglect your 
meals, your breakfast, your dinner, your supper. 
Repair to your closet, bow the knee, read, meditate, 
pray, seek God, examine yourself. Pour out your 
whole soul to God, tell him all your heart, lay hold 
on the cross, cling to it, exercise renewed faith, all 
conquering ; " lift up thy hands." 

Go from this Bethesda in the strength and wisdom 



186 CLOSET WORK THE WORK. 

of the Most High as the light of the morning. Closet 
duty prepares for family duties, social duties, public 
duties — for prayer in the family circle, in the social 
circle, in the great congregation. Closet duties, more 
than all else, prepare us to think as we ought, speak 
as we ought, to write as we ought, to do everything 
as we ought. 

To the closet, the closet. — Allow no earthly business 
engagements or pleasure to rob you of this sacred, 
solemn, all-important duty of secret communion with 
God. The more frequently you visit the closet with 
full purpose of heart to God's glory, the better you 
will like it — soon, very soon, it will be delightful, joy- 
ful, your meat and your drink, heaven's gate to glory. 

]\Ien never take so firm a hold of God as in secret. 
Remember Jacob. Thou shouldst pray alone, for 
thou hast sinned alone, and thou art to die alone, 
and to be judged alone. Alone thou wilt have to 
appear before the judgment-seat. "Why not go alone 
to the mercy-seat ? In the great transaction between 
thee and God, thou canst have no human helper. 
You are not going to tell him any secret. You may 
be sure he will not betray your confidence. What- 
soever reasons there may be for any species of devo- 
tion, there are more and stronger reasons for secret 
devotion. " Enter into thy closet," 6ays Christ. He 
says not a closet, nor the closet, but thy closet. The 
habit of secret communion is supposed to be formed. 



CLOSET WORK — THE WORK. 187 

The man is supposed to have a closet — some place in 
which he is supposed to retire for prayer — some spot 
consecrated by many a meeting there with God — some 
place that has often been to him a Bethel. The Sa- 
viour uses the word to mean any place where, with no 
embarrassment either from the fear or pride of obser- 
vation, we can freely pour out our hearts in prayer to 
God. No matter what are the dimensions of the 
place, what its flooring or canopy. Christ's closet was 
a mountain, Isaac's a field, Peter's the house-top. 

Friendly reader, have you a closet ? do you visit it ? 
make conscience of it ? When ? how often ? It's 
your life, your spiritual life ! neglect it at your peril ! 
Neglect the closet, next the family altar, then the 
circle of social prayer, then the Bible, and then, per- 
haps, the sanctuary, and all the means of grace. Neg- 
lect the closet, and you know not where or how far 
3 r ou may wander ; you know not when, if ever, you 
will return. Neglect the closet, and soon you will 
abandon it, and be left of God to dark, i not to 
damning sin — perhaps to endless ruin. 

To pray in secret is a solemn duty, a glorious and 
blessed privilege, thus to hold converse with the Most 
High, as a child with a father, as a friend with friend ; 
thus to commune with him, breathe his Spirit, and 
receive his impress, his image upon your heart. 

" Nor prayer is made on earth alone : 
The Holy Spirit pleads : 
And Jesus, ou th' eternal throne, 
For sinners intercedes. 



188 BUSINESS AND PRAYER. 

" Thou, by whom we come to God { 
The Life, the Truth, the Way, 
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod, 
Lord, teach us how to pray /" 



BUSINESS AXD PRATER. 

If a professed disciple would not have his secular 
business become as a mill-stone about his neck, to 
drown him in perdition, he must be a man of prayer; 
he must daily secure spiritual communion with God. 
If he suffer his business to consume his time and spir 
its, so as to deprive him of opportunities for prayer, 
reading the Bible, and real communion with God, he 
must decay in piety, and his service of mammon eat 
up his service of God. No one who believes that God 
answers prayer, will think of omitting either secret 
or family devotion for want of time, even when busi- 
ness is unusually urgent. Which is worth most to 
you or your family, an additional period of your own 
unblessed labors, or the blessing of God on your ef- 
forts, won by spending that time in pleading with Him 
in prayer ? The plea of want of time is essentially 
atheistical ; none should urge it but those who regard 
prayer as an empty mockery, that never receives an 
answer from the Lord. Let the day begin with com- 
munion with God, let the disciple pass the whole day 
in the spirit of prayer, and all its duties will become 
spiritual duties, and all its scenes be inscribed with 
" Holiness to the Lord." 



CLOSET WORK — THE WORK. 189 




CLOSET WORK THE WORK. — KO. II. 

" When thou prayest, enter into thy closet ; and when thou hast shut 
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which 
seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." — Matt. vi. 6. 

11 blest retreat ! to it I flee, 

From earth-born care and strife, 
To hold sweet fellowship with thee, 
My Lord, my light, my life 1" 

So infinitely important is secret communion with 
the Father of spirits, we give line upon line, here a 
little and there a little. Reader, have you a closet? 
By the closet, is to he understood some private place ; 
and to shut the door^ is to offer our secret prayers in 
as private a manner as possible, so that God alone 
may be witness to the solemn transaction between 
himself and us. 



190 CLOSET WORK — THE WORK. 

It is indifferent what place is chosen for the pur 
pose of private prayer ; whether a retired room in a 
house, a barn, a stable, a field, [Gen. xxiv. 63] or any 
other place. And this is encouraging to such as have 
no private room for the purpose of religious retire- 
ment ; the numerous branches of whose families live, 
work, and lodge in the same apartments. God is not 
confined to places ; and a heart engaged with him 
will find a place in which to pour out itself before 
him. David, the king, on one occasion, " came in 
and sat before the Lord," in his holy meditations, as 
seen in the engraving, 1 Chron. xvii. 6. It is one 
advantage, however, to have a convenient oratory, or 
place for prayer ; and if it afford opportunity of 
using the voice without being overheard by others, it 
is still more eligible. It will be found profitable also 
to those who are so favored by divine providence as 
to have the means to furnish their places of retire- 
ment with a copy of the Holy Scriptures, a psalm or 
hymn-book, a few select lives of persons eminent for 
piety, and other works directly calculated to excite 
devout affections, and raise the heart to God and 
divine things. And let it not be forgotten that a 
high degree of responsibility is connected with cir- 
cumstances so favorable to secret intercourse with 
God ; and the consequences of improvement or non- 
improvement will be great. 

What a privilege to be alone with God ! with God 



CLOSET WORK THE WORK. 191 

who hears prayer — who delights to hear it — who loves 
importunity — who waits to be gracious — who is more 
ready to give than earthly parents are to give to their 
children. No wonder the Saviour said, "Enter into 
thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to 
thy Father who is in secret." ~No wonder he " went 
up into a mountain to pray, after he had sent away 
the multitude ;" and that, on another occasion, " ris- 
ing up a great while before day, he went out into a 
solitary place and there prayed." He knew the value 
and the importance of prayer. His heart was too full 
for appropriate utterance in the hearing of the multi- 
tude, and therefore he went where no human eye 
could see, and no human ear could hear him, that he 
might pour out the utterings of a full and bursting 
heart. 

We have many things to pray for which the Sa- 
viour had not. We want forgiveness — he did not. 
We want sanctification — he did not. Our eternal life 
is in peril through the deceitfulness of sin, and the 
wiles of the devil — his was not. He had life in him- 
self. He was the fountain of life — we have no 
strength or life out of him. Separated from God, we 
sink and perish. Faith is the tie that binds us to 
him, and prayer is the proper utterance of that faith, 
as well as the indispensable means of giving it strength 
and maturity. 

How can we live without prayer? and how can we 



192 CLOSET WORK THE WORK. 

cany out, practically, the full idea of prayer, without 
a closet ? 

" My closet — this I need not seek, 
It everywhere is found ; 
Where'er my Saviour's footsteps lead, 
I find is holy gronnd." 

Is it not probable that Daniel, who was so sensible 
of the necessity and advantage of prayer, that rather 
than omit it for one day, subjected himself to the 
frightful penalty of being cast into the lions' den, had 
his stated times for prayer? And that the men who 
sought his ruin had obtained information respecting 
those times — "Now when Daniel knew that the 
writing was signed, he went into his house ; and his 
windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusa- 
lem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and 
prayed and gave thanks before his God, as lie did 
aforetime. Then these men assembled and found 
Daniel praying, and making supplication before his 
God." David also, in his best days, appears to have 
had stated times for his devotional exercises. " Seven 
times a day do I praise thee" — Ps. cxix. 164. " Even- 
ing, morning, and at noon will I pray and cry aloud." 
— Ps. lv. 17. 

Eliot, the missionary to the Indians, used to set 
apart whole days for prayer, especially when he had 
any remarkable difficulty before him, adopting Dr. 
Preston's mind, that " when we would have any great 



CLOSET WORK THE WORK. " 193 

thing to be accomplished, the best policy is to work 
by an engine which the world sees nothing of." 

Sir Matthew Hale, as upright a judge as England 
ever had, in his letters to his children said, " If I omit 
praying and reading a portion of God's blessed word 
in the morning, nothing goes well with me all the 
day." 

Doddridge said, "He- never advanced well in hu- 
man learning without prayer, and that he always 
made most proficiency in his studies when he prayed 
with the greatest fervency." 

Our Saviour gave us an example : " In the morn- 
ing, rising up a great while before day, he went out 
into a solitary place, and there prayed." 

" No time, or place, or form, or posture, is displeas- 
ing to God, if the heart is right. If the heart is 
wrong, all is wrong." 

" He who prays at stated times only, will make but 
poor progress heavenwards. He who prays not at 
stated times, will soon omit all prayer." 

" If there was more prayer there would be more 
converts and fewer critics, more penitents and fewer 
sleepers in our churches." 

There never has been a time in the history of the 
church when more was to be obtained by prayer than 
at present ; never a time when there were so many to 
pray. What power would the church have with God 
now, if every Christian would awake and cry mightily 



194 SWEET CONVERSATION HEAVENLY. 

to God for the overturning of Satan's kingdom, and 
the building up and enlarging of the kingdom of 
God's dear Son ! 

When God's anger was burning against the rebel- 
lious Israelites, Moses prayed, and the fire ceased. 
So when they murmured and rebelled, and God prom- 
ised to make Moses a great people, he prayed, and 
God pardoned them. Isaiah and Hezekiah cried to 
God against Sennacherib, and God slew by an angel 
185,000 that very night. 

None of us can be too poor to pray, nor too weak. 
God never grows weary in hearing our prayers. We 
can never ask him for more than he is able to do. 
We may open our mouths wide. Think of all the 
persons we would pray for, all the subjects of prayer. 
He is able to help them all. 

" enter thou thy closet then, 
And shut on thee the door ; 
Exclude the world, and welcome Christ, 
Thy guest for evermore." 



SWEET CONVERSATION- HEAVENLY. 

Nothing sweetens conversation like prayer. Friends, do you wish 
your conversation pleasant, cheerful, animating, edifying, profitable ? 
Pray, ask God to order your speech aright, to give grace and wisdom. 
Does a Christian friend call, commence the interview with prayer. 
Seek God's blessing that '* the words of your mouth, and the medita- 
tions of your heart may be acceptable in his sight." Acknowledge 
God in all things. Nothing tends so directly to give conversation a 
pleasant, happy, edifying, profitable direction as wisdom from above, 
received in answer to prayer. 



WOMEN AND FAMILY DEVOTION. 195 



WOMEtf AND FAMILY DEVOTION. 

" Come to the place of prayer ! 
Mothers and children, come and kneel before 
Your God, and with united hearts adore 
Him whose alone your life and being are." 

Is there to be witnessed this side of heaven a more 
lovely sight, than that of a Christian mother, in the 
absence of father and husband, gathering her children 
together, and engaging with them in family worship ? 

There are Christian wives, not a few, whose hus- 
bands are yet in the gall of bitterness and in the 
bctfids of iniquity — do these wives acknowledge God 
in the domestic circle ? 

Wives and mothers, is your family altar kept burn- 
ing brightly morning and evening ? Very many 
Christian women are sighing from day to day because 
no family altar exists beneath their roof. Yet how 
few have the courage to assemble their households, 
and in presence of an irreligious companion, offer 
themselves the morning and evening incense. Still, 
one thus situated should consider prayerfully whether 
such is not her duty — whether it is not the daily cross 
Jesus asks her to bear for him. 

A friend discovered, with pain, on her second mar- 
riage, that no prayer was offered in her new home. 
Her husband, though a professor of religion, refused 



196 WOMEN AND FAMILY DEVOTION. 

to establish family worship. She then resolved, with 
his consent, to perform the duty herself. 

11 When God commands, we must take up 
Our cross without delay ; 
Our lives — and thousand lives of ours — 
Can ne'er his love repay." 



" come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before our Maker. 11 

Come to the place of prayer ! 
Parents and children, come and kneel before 
Tour God, and with united hearts adore 

Him whose alone your life and being are. 

Come in the morning hour ! 
Who hath raised you from the dream of night ? 
Whose hand hath poured around the cheering light ? 

Come and adore that kind and heavenly power. 

Come at the close of day ! 
Ere weary nature sinks in gentle rest ; 
Come, and let your sins be here confessed ; 

Come, and for his protecting mercy pray. 

Come to the place of prayer ! 
At morn, at night — in gladness or in grief, 
Surround the throne of grace ; there seek relief, 

Or pay your free and grateful homage there. 



POSTURE IK PRAYER. 197 

POSTURE U PRAYER. 

" And lie went a little further, and fell on his face, 
and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me." 

" I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands 
unto the Lord my God." 

"And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord 
in the presence of the congregation of Israel, and 
spread out his hands toward heaven. O come let us 
worship and bow down ; let us kneel before the Lord 
our Master." 

" And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he 
cast himself down upon the earth and put his face 
between his knees." 

" Now when Daniel knew that the writing was 
signed, he went into his house ; and his windows be- 
ing open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he 
kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed 
and gave thanks as he did Sibretime." 

" But Peter put them all forth and kneeled down 
and prayed." 

" They all brought us on our way, with wives and 
children, till we were out of the city ; and we kneeled 
down on the shore and prayed." 

" For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

" That at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, 



198 POSTURE IN PRAYER. 

of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things 
under the earth." 

Friends, can you sit, will you sit ? Would you ap- 
proach an earthly governor in the irreverential sit- 
ing posture ? How then the King of kings and Lord 
of lords? 

" In many churches nearly the whole congregation 
sit in time of prayer. That this is, when not occasioned 
by bodily infirmities, an irreverent posture for prayer, 
will be admitted. Some persons are obliged to keep 
their seats ; but the custom of sitting in prayer has 
probably grown up as much out of pure indolence as 
from any other cause." 

The only justifiable pleas that now occur to us for 
the idle, irreverential, sitting posture in prayer, are 
these : — 1st, The infirmities of sickness and old age ; 
2d, When the prayers are so long as to render stand- 
ing or kneeling exhausting, very difficult if not in*- 
possible to endure. 

All the prayers in the* Bible are very brief and 
comprehensive. The longest, by far, is Solomon's 
dedicatory prayer, occupying only six or seven min- 
utes. But now we have no use for Bible examples, 
either for prayer or speech-making. Wisdom on 
these points, as well as on very many others, has died 
out. 

It is worthy of remark, that the practice of sitting 
in public prayer, which now so much prevails, is al- 



POSTURE IN PRAYER. 199 

most the only posture in this solemn service which 
has not the sanction of a scriptural warrant. Stand- 
ing, kneeling, and prostration are warranted by suffi- 
cient examples in Scripture. 

Much is said in Scripture of reverence as expressed 
in the postures of the body. As both kneeling and 
standing in prayer are expressive of reverence, either 
of these postures has a fitness to the end. In public 
prayer there is a more solemn presence of God. We 
are then in a special manner before the Lord our 
Maker. The very angels cover their faces when the 
Lord is in his temple; much more have we cause for 
the deepest reverence, who, in our public prayers, 
must come before the throne as beggars. 

It may seem comparatively a small matter that the 
practice of our churches has in this thing so far de- 
parted from the scriptural example. But it is at 
once the index and the cause of an enfeebled tone of 
piety. 

Children should be taught, from early infancy to 
bow the little knee in times of worship in the family, 
the social circle, and in the great congregation. 

What sight more lovely, more beautiful, or sublime, 
than a whole family, from the least to the greatest, 
bowing in solemn awe, godly fear, and reverential 
stillness at the domestic altar morning and evening. 



200 LIGHTNING PEATEE. 



LIGHTNING PRAYER. 

u Prayer makes the darken T d clouds withdraw, 
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw, 
Gives exercise to faith and love, 
Brings every blessing from above 

- 

This lightning prayer, or lifting up the soul to God 
ejaculatorily, is a precious privilege, no prison bars 
or gates can hinder. 

The Christian often finds this electrifying, tele- 
graphic intercourse with the King of kings profitable, 
necessary, indispensable, when he is unable to retire 
from the society and business of the world, What 
supplies of Divine influence may be thus obtained, 
what deliverance from anxiety, what victories over 
self and Satan ! Enough to say, in the depths of the 
heart, " Lord help roe," or, " Lord, I am thine, — save 
me," even amid the hurry of a harvest day, or the 
bustle of the shop, or the excitement and provocations 
of the market and the court-room. "A sigh can 
reach his ear :?' the falling of a tear, or the upward 
glancing of the soul, may array on our behalf the re- 
sources of Omnipotence. Such application to the 
giver of all grace keeps up in us a just sense of his 
presence, oversight, and all-sufficiency, as also of our 
entire dependence upon Him ; and so proves a help to 
fidelity, watchfulness, and spirituality. It serves to 
counteract the influence of things that are seen and 



LIGHTNING- PKAYEft. 201 

temporal. It nourishes in us that devotional frame 
which is essential to the safety and strength, and 
which seems to be contemplated in the law which re- 
quires our unceasing supplications. " Prayer is the 
wall that compasses the city ; there must be no gap 
in it." 

The Holy Scriptures abound with examples illus- 
trative of this lifting the eyes to the hills from which 
" cometh our help." 

This practice indicates a firm belief of God's provi- 
dence, that regulates and controls all the circum- 
stances and events of our lives. He who is in the 
habit of thus lifting up his heart, must cherish a con- 
stant sense of dependence upon Him, and an abiding 
faith in his ability and disposition to help him. It is, 
therefore, evidently characteristic of a spiritually- 
minded person. It is only the man who lives near to 
God, and who cherishes high and exalted thoughts 
of Him as the portion of his soul, whose prayer will 
naturally rise to Him in the time in which he will 
have special need of His interposition. 

But as this habit of lifting up the heart in prayer 
to God is characteristic of the God-fearing and God- 
loving Christian, so it is eminently calculated to pro- 
mote the spiritual interests of the soul. 

We can plead for the neglect of this duty no such 
excuses as are sometimes pleaded for the neglect of 
stated family or even secret prayer. It is a duty the 

9* 



202 LK>HTKING PBAYEK. 

performance of which will not interfere in the least 
with our daily avocations. The plowman need not 
stop his plow, the mechanic need not lay aside his 
tools, the merchant need not leave his counting room, 
the seamstress need not cease to ply her needle, the 
traveler need not get off the car or coach. No, every 
work of the hands, and even of the head, may go on 
without interruption. 

Although ejaculatory prayer is suitable at all times, 
there are, however, certain times to which it may be 
regarded as peculiarly adapted — such as when we 
awake in the morning — lie down to sleep at night — 
when about to engage in solemn acts of formal wor- 
ship — when about to undertake any thing of special 
importance — when in company, and especially in the 
company of those who do not fear God — when called 
to administer reproof, or to speak to persons about 
the interests of their souls. It may be well for us to 
take special note of these seasons as suitable for this 
exercise, that we may learn this holy art. When once 
the art is learned, the occasion will suggest the pro- 
priety of its use. 

Dear reader, may you know, in your happy expe- 
rience, the blessed effects of this practice — a practice 
which, we have reason to believe, was at one time in 
much more frequent use than it now is. Fail not to 
observe your stated seasons of family and secret 
prayer, but he sure also to carry with you through the 



LIGHTNING PRAYER. 203 

day the spirit of prayer — to make frequent use of this 
means of communication which, like a telegraph, your 
Heavenly Father has instituted between earth and 
heaven. You have free access to it at any time, 
whether it be by night or by day. There will be no 
charge for any dispatch, be your words few or many. 
You w T ill also be sure to get a return. And what is 
more, no enemy can ever cut the wires of this tele- 
graph. Oh, then use it often ! By so doing, you will 
have your desires excited for that better country to 
which you are going, and be prepared for the eternal 
joys that await you there. 

" Let your first thoughts by morning light, 
Ascend to God on high ; 
And in the evening raise your thoughts 
Above the starry sky." 






Who ever knew an eminently holy man who did 
not spend much of his time in prayer? Did ever a 
man exhibit much of the spirit of prayer who did 
not devote much time to his closet ? Whitefield says : 
" Whole days and weeks have I spent, prostrate on 
the ground, in silent or vocal prayer." " Fall upon 
your knees, and grow there," is the language of an- 
other, who knew that whereof he affirmed. These, in 
spirit, are but specimens of a feature in the experience 
of eminent piety which is absolutely uniform. 



204 



LONGINGS OF SOUL ; OR, 




LONGINGS OF SOUL; 

OR, THE SPARROW AND THE SWALLOW. 

" My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord : my heart 

and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Tea the sparrow hath 

found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may 

lay her young, even thy altars, Lord of hosts, my King, and my 

God: 1 — Psalm lxxxiv. 2, 3. 

What intense longings had the Psalmist after sweet 
and holy communion with God and his people ! His 
whole soul was on fire ! He envied the birds their 
privileges, the sparrow and the swallow, of building 
their nests and dwelling quietly in them, while he 
was deprived of the ordinances of the sanctuary and 
heavenly intercourse with the saints. 

On another occasion, the inspired writer says : " As 



THE SPARROW AND THE SWALLOW. 



205 




the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth 
mv soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for 
God, for the living God : when shall I come and ap- 
pear before God ?" Psalm xfii. 1, 2. 

Reader, is this your experience? Is your heart 
thus alive in God, fired with holy zeal, with intense 
desire after conformity to God's glorious image? If 
not, why ? fe it not your duty, your privilege ? This 
intensity of soul— this outbursting of holy longing- 
is peculiarly the expression of those receiving the 
earliest intimations of redeeming mercy ! 

" What comfort was mine when the favor divine 
I first found in the blood of the Lamb ; 
When my heart first believed, what joy I received ! 
What a heaven in Jesus' name." 



206 LONGINGS OF SOUL ; OB, 

Was there ever a young convert, a newly-born soul 
lighted up by grace divine, translated from the king- 
dom of darkness into the marvelous light of the gos- 
pel, that did not love holiness, hunger and thirst after 
full salvation, entire conformity to God's will? The 
language of every one brought up out of the horrible 
pit, out of the miry clay, and a new song put into his 
mouth, even praise to his God, is, " Sanctify me 
wholly, let my whole spirit and soul and body be pre- 
served blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." 

Hear the beloved President Edwards on the subject 
of holiness, in his early espousals to Christ, in the 
overflowing effervescence of his newly-born soul : — 

" I remember the thoughts I used then to have of 
holiness, and said, sometimes, to myself, I do certainly 
know that I love holiness such as the gospel prescribes. 
It appeared to me that there was nothing in it but 
what was ravishingly lovely ; the highest beauty and 
amiableness of divine beauty ; far purer than any 
thing here upon earth ; and that any thijig else was 
like mere defilement, in a comparison to it. 

" Holiness, as I then wrote down some of my con- 
templations on it, appeared to me to be of a sweet, 
pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature, which brought 
an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness, and 
ravishment to the soul. In other words, that it made 
the soul like a field or a garden of God, with all man- 



th5 sparrow and the swallow. .207 

ner of pleasant flowers, enjoying a sweet calm, and 
the gently vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a 
true Christian, as I then wrote my meditations, ap- 
peared like such a little white flower as we see in the 
spring of the year, low and humble on the ground, 
opening its bosom to receive the pleasant beams of the 
sun's glory ; rejoicing, as it were, in calm rapture ; 
diffusing around a sweet fragrancy ; standing peace- 
fully and lovingly in the midst of other flowers round 
about it ; all, in like manner, opening their bosoms 
to drink in the light of the sun. There was no part 
of creature-holiness, that I had so great a sense of its 
lovingness, as humility, brokenness of heart, and pu- 
rity of spirit ; and there was nothing that I so ear- 
nestly longed for. My heart panted for this — to lie 
low before God, as in the dust ; that I might be no- 
thing, and that God might be all ; that I might be- 
come as a little child." 

So it was, so it is, so it will be. 

This is the time, the auspicious season, the momen- 
tous crisis. The new-born babes in Christ, desiring 
the sincere milk of the word, should be taken by the 
hand immediately, carried in the bosom of entire 
consecration and perfect love, led on directly into full 
salvation ; else they are sure to stumble, backslide, 
relapse into worldly conformity. What avail revivals, 
except the new disciples are trained exclusively for 
God in the outset ? well posted on every duty, every 



208. LONGINGS OF SOUL. 

grace, every reform, temperance, freedom, modesty, 
purity of thought, word, and action ? 

The young disciple, in the first movings of saving 
grace, the very moment he breathes the atmosphere of 
heaven, drinks at the well of living waters, enjoys the 
sweet, enchanting smiles of pardoning mercy ; is meek, 
modest, humble, child-like, full of love, teachable ! 
" Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ?" is the over- 
flowing response. He is obedient to the slightest in- 
timation of duty and self-denial. 

Ministers of the Word, — Official members, is not 
this the time to strike ? "Will you not take these 
lambs of the flock, carry them in the bosom of re- 
deeming love ? — post them on every reform — equip 
them fully for the battle-field — see their armor is kept 
bright and glittering — shining brighter and brighter 
continually ? Teach them how to vote, how to read, 
how to sing, how to pray, how to preach, how to walk, 
how to live, how to glorify God in all things, how 
to keep themselves unspotted from the world — to 
" remember those in bonds as bound with them," " to 
cause the widow's heart to sing for joy." 

If these lambs wander from the fold, turn again to 
the beggarly elements, in whose skirts will blood be 
found ? What says the Holy Spirit ? 1 Peter v. — 
" The elders which are amongst you I exhort ; — feed 
the flock of God which is among you, taking the 
oversight thereof." 



THE TRUE REFORMER. 209 



THE TRUE REFORMER. 

» 

Who is lie ? What is he ? 

1. He takes scriptural ground for his faith and 
practice; receives the Bible as a whole, comparing 
Scripture with Scripture. He believes that all Scrip- 
ture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruc 
tion in righteousness, that the man of God may be 
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 

Reforms based or attempted on any other founda- 
tion aside from Christ, the -Bible — God's own book — 
will sooner or later come to naught. "Every plant 
which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be 
rooted up." 

2. He has the spirit of Christ. " If any man have 
not the spirit of Christ he is none of his." 

3. He has holy boldness, great moral courage. 

4. He is willing to make great sacrifices — take the 
spoiling of his goods joyfully ; like Paul, not count- 
ing his life dear. "He that saveth his life shall lose it." 

5. He is indefatigable in his efforts in the midst of 
the greatest obstacles and oppositions. 

6. He has strong faith in God, in the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

7. His hope of success and final triumph is in God. 

8. He does all to glorify God. 



210 THE TRUE REFORMER. 

9. He is reformed himself, " able to bridle his 
whole body." 

No one is a true gospel reformer till he has mas- 
tered self, the remains of old Adam, till he. has "put 
off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new 
man, renewed in knowledge after the image of him 
who created him." 

The early Christians were commanded by Christ to 
tarry at Jerusalem till they had received power from 
on high, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the tongue 
of fire ? Isaiah, with all his goodness, was not fully 
prepared to go on God's message till the live coal from 
God's altar was applied to* his lips, till "his iniquity 
was purged and his sin taken away.* 9 Then, when 
the call was made, " Whom shall I send ?" Isaiah was 
ready, fully prepared as a true Bible reformer. His 
soul was now on fire to do God's will : " Here I am" 
says he, ''send Trie" 

The same is true of Peter and the other apostles. 
They were not duly prepared to honor God, meet the 
emergencies of the day* previously to the baptism 
pentecostal. After this blessed outpouring of the 
Holy Spirit, they went forth with renewed strength, 
full of faith, with great power, preaching the word. 
The baptism of the Holy Spirit, God's purifying, 
sanctifying influences on our souls, is what we need, 
must have, to qualify us for true Bible reformers. In 
a word, we want Christ to dwell in us richly, in all 



THE TRUE REFORMER. 211 

wisdom, by faith, being rooted and grounded in love, 
able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the 
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to 
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, 
that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

10. A true Bible reformer takes Bible ground in 
reproving all sin, popular or unpopular, irrespective 
of what men or devils will think, say, or do. 

The doctrine of expediency, or the compromising 
with sin in any form, is not so much as named or 
dreamed of. Says the " Earnest Christian :" 

" The Gospel is so radically reformatory that to 
preach it fully and clearly r , is to attach and condemn 
all wrong, and to assert and defend all righteous- 
ness" 

The Scriptures assume, upon their face, to teach 
what is right and what is wrong, and to command 
the one, and to forbid the other. 

By way of example, we have the offering by Abra- 
ham of his son. 

"We also have the heroic conduct of Daniel and his 
companions, Daniel vi. 4-23, and chap. iii. 1-23. 

The precepts of the Gospel bearing on the point 
are numerous and clear, and often so connected with 
example, as to give them great force. 

"But Peter and John answered and said unto 
them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to 
hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 



2 1 2 THE TRUE REFORMER. 

For we can but speak the things which we have seen 
and heard/ —Acts iv. 19. 20. 

u Then Peter and the other apostles answered and 
said. ^Ve ought to obey God rather than men." — Acts 
v. 2'?. 

In all these eases worldly prudence would have dic- 
tated a different course : but right must be responded 
to regardless of worldlv considerations. 

i_ ml 

The power and success of the gospel depends upon 
the maintenance of its radical positions by its minis- 
ters and friends/' 

Some are very zealous in rebuking certain sins, 

o-like, and, after alb the true elements ot' a gospel 

riner may be wanting. Moses and Joshua were 

true reformers, so was Samuel. Xekerniah, Elijah, 

Elisha, Daniel — Jehu was not. Paul was a true 

:mer. crucihed to the world and the world to him. 

He counted all things but loss for Christ. 

There are those again who manifest a noble zeal in 
certain reforms, take a bold, uncompromising stand 
in defending the right of the poor and the oppressed, 
in exposing the witchcrafts, idolatry, and hypocrisy 
of the day, while, at the same time, they omit other 
things indispensable to a true Bible reformer, M holi- 
ness to the Lord," the doctrine of perfect love or en- 
tire sanetifleation in this life. 

11. Again, professing sanctirication, or perfect love, 
while withholding any part of the inspired volume, 



THE TRUE REFORMER. 213 

will not constitute a Bible reformer. Many here are 
weighed in the balance and found wanting. " To 
the law and to the testimony, if they speak not ac- 
cording to this word, it is because there is no light in 
them." — Isa. viii. 20. 

Here lies the mischief, the stumbling-block. Not 
a few professing to be wholly sanctified, to enjoy the 
fullness of the gospel, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
meanwhile their lips are silent touching the guilt of 
our national sins, the sin of oppression and man-steal- 
ing, the traffic in the bodies and souls of men ! Are 
such men, notwithstanding their high professions, 
true Bible reformers, while winking at, or covering 
up, one of the greatest sins that ever cursed God's 
earth ? Thus did not the holy prophets — see Isa. chap, 
lviii. Thus did not Paul the apostle ; thus did not 
Wilberforce ; thus did not Wesley. Would the be- 
loved John Wesley be held in everlasting remem- 
brance endearingly, as he is, had he not taken a bold, 
holy, uncompromising stand against all sin — the sin 
of intemperance in the use of strong drink and to- 
bacco, against the sin of worldly conformity in dress 
and equipage, against the sin of making the house of 
God a house of merchandise ; and above all, and over 
all, against what he justly termed the " sum of all 
villanits?" There was not a sin in high or low 
places, in the church or out of it, in the family circle 
or out of it, but what he exposed by pen and viva 



214 EVIL THOUGHTS. 

voce, held it up to public view in all its naked de- 
formity, brought down upon it the sharp two-edged 
sword of God's truth, laid his finger on the spot of 
the leprosy. This strict adherence to God's word, 
this uniform consistency of character, this unflinch- 
ing, uncompromising spirit in the cause of truth and 
salvation is what justly termed him a Bible reformer. 
Blessed man ! Who is on the Lord's side, who ? 

" What wants the age ? Heart-earnest men 

To spread the truth, the truth defend: 
Such on the earth we need again 

As God in ancient times did send ; 
Men reckless of wealth or fame, 

Of ignominy, scorn, or shame, 
The stake, the faggot, or the flame ; 

Their only object God — and truth their only aim." 



EVIL THOUGHTS. 

Beware of evil thoughts. They have done great 
mischief in the world. Bad thoughts come first, bad 
words follow, and bad deeds finish the progress. 
Watch against them. Strive against them. Pray 
against them. They prepare the way for the enemy 
of souls. 

" Bad thought 's a thief; he acts his part 
Creeps through the windows of the heart, 
And if he once his way can win, 
He lets a hundred robbers in." 



CONSECEATION COMPLETE, SALVATION COMPLETE. 215 



CONSECRATION COMPLETE, SALVATION COMPLETE. 

" To purify, and fit us for the crown 
Reserved iu heaven, awarded at the day 
Of Christ's appearing." 



CONSECRATION FIRST, THEN SALVATION. 

Without entire consecration, no salvation, no holy 
unction from on high, no power. "Behold, I send 
the promise of my Father upon you : but tarry ye at 
the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power 
from on high." Luke xxiv. 49. 

Header, beloved, have you this power with God ? 
If not, who is in fault ? On whom rests the respon- 
sibility ? 

You will not presume to charge the Almighty with 
deficiency ? or say he has not made ample provision 
for this power, the tongue of fire, the baptism pente- 
costal ? Nor will you presume to say the Lord is not 
desirous for you to have this power, or that he has 
not made it both your duty and your privilege to be 
strong in the Lord and the power of his might ; to be 
filled with all the fullness of God, that you may be 
able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, 
length, depth, and height ; and to know the love of 
Christ, which passeth knowledge. The word and the 
testimony are positive on this point of God's willing- 
ness to save to the uttermost — line upon line, precept 



216 CONSECRATION COMPLETE, SALVATION COMPLETE. 

upon precept, are given confirmatory of this fact. 
Furthermore, beloved reader, you are aware that with- 
out this power from on high, you are living beneath 
your privilege, curtailing your usefulness and happi- 
ness. 'Not only so, but so long as you remain desti- 
tute of this prevailing, sanctifying grace, you are 
neglecting positive duty, living in open disobedience 
to the Most High. The command is, " Be strong in 
the Lord, and in the power of his might," " Be filled 
with the Spirit." Duty is plain, clear as the noon- 
day sun, unmistakable. " Therefore, to him ' that 
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is 
sin.' " James iv. 17. 

Moreover, you feel an aching void — your deficiency, 
your need, your inmost soul cries out there is some- 
thing wanting which you have not, and must have to 
meet God's requirements. Again, you desire this 
power with God, and are assured without it it is ut- 
terly impossible to glorify Him as you ought, in your 
body and in your spirit. And yet you remain in 
bondage, from week to week, and from month to 
month, robbing God and depriving yourself of this 
choicest gift of Heaven. Multitudes on multitudes 
may go down to hell through your neglect and dis- 
obedience. God holds you responsible for the good 
you may do. 

There is a cause of this lack of power, what is it? 
Are you keeping back no part of the price ? neglect- 



CONSECRATION COMPLETE, SALVATION COMPLETE. 217 

ing no duty in public or private ? Is there no lack of 
confessing and forsaking sin, or of making restitution ? 
Are you providing things honest in the sight of all 
men ? How is it with your pride, covetousness, self- 
will, your love of reputation, your time-serving ? are 
these nailed to the cross ? Have you come out, en- 
tirely, from the world, its follies, fashions, and pleas- 
ure-seeking, and resolved in the strength, wisdom, and 
grace of God, to perform every known duty, come 
life or come death ! seeking the honor which cometh 
from God only \ Are you covering up or winking at 
any sin, in high places or in low, from a man-fearing, 
time-serving policy ? Are you faithful in reproofs, 
not suffering sin to rest upon your neighbor ? The 
Psalmist says, " I shall not be ashamed when I have 
respect unto all thy commandments." " I will wash 
my hands in innocency ; so will I compass thine altar, 
O Lord, that I may publish with the voice of thanks- 
giving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." Psa. 
xx vi. 6, 7. " I have refrained my feet from every 
evil way, that I might keep thy word." 

Where lies the difficulty, beloved reader ? Is it 
not in the fact that your consecration is incomplete, 
that the pruning-knife has not been duly applied 2 
Search and see. Have right hands been severed ( 
right eyes plucked out ? Have you searched every 
nook and corner of your heart, as with the lighted 

candle of God's holy Spirit and word ? Are you sure 

10 



218 COMPLETE CONSECRATION, COMPLETE SALVATION. 

the fallow ground of your heart is broken up, com- 
pletely, that all is on the altar Christ Jesus ; reputa- 
tion, pride, covetousness, time, talents, property, hus- 
bands, wives, fathers, mothers, parents and children, 
brothers and sisters, houses and lands, even life itself? 
Do you desire this unspeakable blessing, above every 
earthly consideration % Have you counted all things 
loss, save Jesus Christ % " If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and 
follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall 
lose it, and w T hosoever will lose his life for my sake, 
shall find it." 

Without this entire, unreserved, perpetual, perse- 
vering consecratedness, there is nothing done to pur- 
pose or acceptance. What avail good desires, resolu- 
tions, prayers, preachings, writings, expostulations, 
doing this, or doing that, without this entire consecra- 
tion, giving up all for God ? — without first laying all 
upon the altar Christ Jesus, " laying aside every 
weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us," 
meanwhile abstaining from all appearance of evil ? 

Till this entire, unreserved consecration is heartily 
made — heartily, honestly, entirely, everlastingly, all 
is sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. 

How is it possible for God to look complacently on 
any one, saint or sinner, professor or non-professor, 
minister or layman, without this entire consecrated- 
ness to the Lord — this presenting the " body a living 



COMPLETE CONSECRATION, COMPLETE SALVATION. 219 

sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reason- 
able service." 

The whole tenor of God's merciful dispensations 
goes on the principle or condition of this consecration. 
There is no divine acceptance, no solid peace, hope or 
comfort — no joy in the Holy Spirit — no smiling ap- 
probation of the Most High — no permanent success in 
our labors, in the cause of truth and salvation, save 
on the condition of this entire consecration, this giving 
up our wills to God's will. Reader, is not this cor- 
rect theology, sound, scriptural, undeniable ? God 
declares it, reiterates it on every page of inspiration. 
See Isaiah i. 15, 16, 17, 18 ; Romans xii. 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. 
vi. 14, 15, 16, 17. 

Till this entire, unreserved consecratedness is made 
in good faith, honestly, heartily, unreservedly, and 
forever in the sight of Heaven, angels and men, there 
is no pardon, no forgiveness, no acceptance with God, 
no.sweet, heavenly, glowing, joyful manifestations of 
the Most High. God cannot, will not bow the lis- 
tening ear. The heavens are brass above us, the earth 
iron beneath ! Heaven is shut — the pearly gates 
barred — so long as we cling to earth, hold on to lust, 
the pride of life — refuse to bow the knee, humbly, 
consecratedly, and give God the glory henceforth and 
forever. 

When we have complied with God's reasonable, ne- 
cessary, permanent, unalterable conditions— grounded 



220 CONSECRATION COMPLETE, 8ALVATION COMPLETE. 

entirely the arms of our rebellion, made a willing, 
hearty, unreserved sacrifice of all we possess for Je- 
sus ; brought all the tithes into the storehouse, the 
windows of heaven are then opened wide, salvation 
streams ! The Lord smiles graciously, gloriously ! 
" Come, now, let us reason together, saith the Lord," 
See Isa. i. 18. 

Now, " The very God of peace sanctify } r ou wholly ; 
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body 
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who 
also will do it."— Thess. v. 23. 

" There is a path that leads to G-od, 
All others go astray ; 
Narrow but pleasant is the road, 
And Christians love the way." 

Beloved Reader — You perceive in this article we 
have dwelt largely and minutely on the subject of en- 
tire consecration. We have done this from the # ne- 
cessity of the case, from the firm belief that this en- 
tireness of consecration to God is indispensable to sal- 
vation, hope, joy, peace, assurance of faith, simple, 
humble, confiding trust in Jesus Christ, a faith that 
wwks by love and purifies the heart : indispensable 
to the baptismal power from on high to the being 
filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Furthermore, we have extended this article on con- 
secration thus minutely from the fact that very many 



CONSECRATION" COMPLETE, SALVATION COMPLETE. 221 

ministers and religious editors of high standing, dis- 
tinguished for their eminent piety, their eloquence 
and thoroughness in gospel delineations, are sadly 
deficient in the enforcement of presenting the body a 
living (perpetual) sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto 
God. And even in some of our meetings for holiness, 
entire sanctification to God, the question of consecra- 
tion, the giving up all for Christ, now, henceforth, 
and forever, seems alarmingly superficial ! Teachers 
in Israel, not a few, dwell largely on the duty of 
faith, meanwhile overlook the scriptural fact that it 
is utterly impossible to exercise simple, implicit faith 
in Christ, a faith that overcometh the world, causing 
the heart to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of 
glory, being filled with all the fullness of God, with- 
out complying with the conditions of faith. Thus 
multitudes dishonor God by their unbelief, halt be- 
tween two opinions, having a name to live while dead ; 
professing godliness, but deny the power thereof. 

The Bible is full, emphatically, of this perpetual, 
unreserved consecration to God's service of soul, 
mind, and body, both in the Old and New Testa- 
ments. The command is " To lay aside every weight, 
and the sin that so easily besets us," " to abstain from 
all appearance of evil," that whether we eat or drink, 
or whatsoever we do, we do all to the glory of God, giv- 
ing no offence, neither to the Jews, nor the Gentiles, 
nor to the church of God." 



222 CONSECRATION. 

CONSECRATION —NO. II. 

" Thus nothing should our hearts divide, 
But on our years serenely glide, 
And all to love be given. " 

To extend and substantiate our views on entire, 
unreserved consecration to God's service, we give place 
to the experience and testimony of President Jona- 
than Edwards, a mighty man of God — mighty in the 
Scriptures, and marvelously instrumental in the sal- 
vation of multitudes. 

What was the special cause of this success in winning 
souls to Christ ? After presenting his whole being a 
living, perpetual sacrifice to the Lord, he was enabled 
to take Jesus for his complete Saviour, a Saviour 
from all sin. Mark first his consecration. Was ever" 
one more definite, entire, unreservM ? We give his 
own language word for word : 

" I have this day solemnly renewed my baptismal 
covenant and self-dedication which I made when I 
was received into the communion of the church ; I 
have been before God ; so that I am not in any re- 
spect my own. I claim no right to myself, no right 
in this understanding, this will, these affections, that 
are in me ; neither have I any right to this body, of 
its members — no right to this tongue, these hands, nor 
feet ; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, 
this smell or taste. I have given myself clear away, 



CONSECRATION. 223 

and have not retained anything of my own. I have 
been to God this morning and told him that I gave 
myself wholly to him. I have given every power to 
him, so that for the future I challenge or claim no 
right to myself in any respect. I have expressly 
promised him, and do now promise Almighty God, 
and by his grace I will not. I have this morning told 
him that I did take him for my whole portion and 
felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my 
happiness, nor acting as if it were ; and that his law 
is the constant rule of my obedience, and that I would 
fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, to the end of my life, and believe in 
Jesus Christ, and receive him as a Prince and a Savi- 
our ; and would adhere to the faith and obedience of 
the gospel, how hazardous and difficult soever the 
profession and practice of it may be ; that I did re- 
ceive the blessed Spirit as my teacher, sanctifier, and 
only comforter ; and cherish all his motions to en- 
lighten, purity, confirm, comfort, and assist me. This 
I have done. I pray God, for the sake of Christ, to 
look upon me as a self-dedication, and to receive me 
now as entirely his own, deal with me in all respects 
as such — wffether he afflicts or prospers me, or what- 
ever he pleases to do to me, who am his. Now hence- 
forth I am not to act in any respect as my own. I 
shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my 
powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God, 



224 HEAVED. 

or do not make the glorifying of him my whole and 
entire business; if I murmur in the least at afflictions ; 
if I grieve at the prosperity of others ; if I am in any 
way uncharitable ; if I am angry because of injuries ; 
if I revenge my own cause ; if I do anything purely 
to please myself, or avoid anything for the sake of 
my ease,, or omit anything because it is a great self- 
denial ; if I trust to myself; if I take any praise of 
any good I do,, or rather God does by me; or if I am 
in any way proud." 



HEAVEI. 

" No night is there t" — the sun of love is teaming 
Upon the happy denizens of heaven ; 
Its pure effulgence from God's presence streaming, 
Shines ever on the hosts of the forgiven. 



tc 



u 



No night is there !" for want and pain are ended ; 

Sin and temptation they shall know no more ; 
And unbelief, with all that God offended, 

Departed as they left the mortal shore. 

No night is there I" for none shall know^he anguish 
Of separation or estrangement keen ; 

Under the Lord's chastisement none shall languish, 
For there his glorious face unveiled is seen." 



fire! fire! fire! 225 

FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! 

The fire ! Have you it, reader ? Is your soul full 
of it ? the fire of the gospel, the fire of Paul, — pente- 
costal ? the tongue of fire ? the fire that burns, kin- 
dles to a flame, blazes out and out, sets the whole 
world on fire ? What can you do without it ? how 
can you live and breathe without this celestial fire, 
the fire of holy love ? How can you pray without 
it ; write without it ; preach without it ; sing or 
give thanks, exhort with all long-suffering and doc- 
trine % Is fire wanting % the fire of God, God's fire, 
heavenly fire, the fire that inspired the holy prophets 
and apostles, the fire that kindled the soul of Isaiah to 
a flame when he saw the vision of God in the temple, 
and the seraphim crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the 
Lord of hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory ?" 
— Isa. vi. 3. 

When Isaiah saw this glory, the holiness of God, 
he cried out, " Wo is me ! for I am undone ; because 
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst 
of a people of unclean lips." Then one of the sera- 
phim flew to him with a live coal in his hand from 
the altar, and laid it upon* his mouth, and when this 
live coal touched his lips his iniquity was taken away, 
and his sin purged ; and now his soul was* on fire, the 
fire of holy love. And when the call was made, 

" Whom shall I send ? and who will go for us ?" 

10* 



226 FIRE ! FIEE ! FIRE ! 

Isaiah was ready, full of fire to do God's will. " Here 
am I," says he, " send me." Was Isaiah prepared to 
fight, face the enemy, till he received this fire from 
God's altar ? "Were the apostles and the early Chris- 
tians prepared to glorify God in the world's salvation, 
till they had received the pentecostal fire ? When 
Peter received this tongue of fire three thousand were 
converted to God under one sermon ! It was this 
fire that inspired Luther's soul, Melancthon's, Wes- 
ley's, Bunyan's, Baxter's, Payson's, J. B. Taylor's. 
Peader, have you the fire of God's love in your soul, 
the fire that strikes terror in the hearts of the king's 
enemies, that rejoices the souls of the righteous ? Can 
you pray ? Can you talk, preach, or write for God, save 
your soul is on fire; save God rules in you, over you ; 
inditing every thought to his own glory; save this fire 
of love is in your inmost soul, burning hotter and 
hotter, shining brighter and brighter, even unto the 
perfect day ? O for this fire ! Lord send it. O that 
a live coal might touch the lips of each minister and 
each disciple of the Lord Jesus in America in this 
important crisis. 

John the Baptist said : " One mightier than I cbm- 
eth, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthv to 
unloose ; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit 
and with fire." Three years after this promise was 
made, our risen Lord said to his disciples, " Tarry ye 
in the city of Jerusalem till ye be endued with power 



FIRE ! FIRE ! FIRE ! 227 

from on high." " Te shall receive power after that 
the Holy Ghost is come upon you ; and ye shall be 
witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and 
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth," 
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, the 
promise was fulfilled in the baptism of the Spirit — the 
baptism of fire — and on the head of each disciple 
% appeared cloven tongues of fire, indicating that 
" Christianity was to be a Tongue of Fire." It has 
been well observed that " the symbol is a tongue, the 
only instrument of the grandest war ever waged — a 
tongue — man's speech to his fellow-man — a message 
in human words to human faculties, from the under- 
standing to the understanding, from the heart to the 
heart. A tongue of fire — man's voice, God's truth — 
man's speech, the Holy Spirit's inspiration; a human 
organ, a superhuman power." 

The disciples on Pentecost were filled with the 
Holy Ghost — a blessing promised to the whole church, 
"even to as many as the Lord our God shall call." 
" Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be 
filled with the Spirit." 

" Thus strong in our Redeemer's strength, 
Sin, death ; and hell we trample down, 
Fight the good fight, and win, at length, 
Through mercy an immortal crown." 



228 THE WINE-CUP. 



THE WINE-CUP 



Young man, that cup of sparkling wine, 

Just lifted to thy lip ! 
Heed well the fate that may be thine 

If that vile draft you sip ; 
A maniac's death, a drunkard's grave, 

In thoughtless mirth you madly brave. 

A prison's gloom, a felon's name, 
A murderer stained with blood, 

A life of woe, a death of shame, 
I see within its purple flood : 

Drink, then, that cup of sparkling wine, 
Young man, and these may all be thine. 

The widow's wail, the orphan's cry, 

The frenzied maniac's yell, 
The bloated cheek, the blood-shot eye 

Are all within the wine-cup's spell ; 
It flings o'er life a rayless gloom, 

And kills for aye beyond the tomb. 

Then taste no more the sparkling cup, 
An adder's tooth is in the wine, 

A simoom's blast to wither up 

All hope of bliss that may be thine ; 

But as a serpent, from thee throw 

The cup that brings but shame and woe. 



THE SAVIOTJB CROWNED WITH THOEN8. 



229 




THE SAVIOUK CBOWNED WITH TUOKNS. 



" Behold the man.'' 1 — John xix. 5. 

" Go to the garden, sinner ; see 
Those precious drops that flow ; 
The heavy load he bore for thee, 
For thee he lies so low. 

" Then learn of him the cross to bear, 
Thy Father's will obey ; 
And when temptations press thee near, 
Awake to watch and pray." 

Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree — the Saviour of 
men. What he suffered we can never know ; but G-od laid on him the 
iniquity of us all, which he willingly bore, to save us from eternal 
shame and misery. With his stripes we are healed. How great the 
gratitude each of us owes such a friend ! 

" Down from the shining seats above, 

With joyful heart he fled, 
Entered the grave in mortal flesh, 

And dwelt among the dead. 
Oh ! for this love let rocks and hills 

Their lasting silence break ; 
And all harmonious human tongues 

The Saviour's praises speak." 

1. You never can fully know the cause of the love of Christ 

2. You never can fully know the beginning of the love of Christ. 

3. You never can fully know the greatness of the love of Christ. 

4. You never can fully know the tenderness of the love of Christ. 

5. You never can fully know the immutability of the love of Christ. 

6. You never can fully know the value of the love of Christ. 
1. You never can fully know the end of the love of Christ. 



PREFACE TO PART II. 



"•OCO*- 



A GOOD FAMILY BOOK. 




" At first, the pages of the book 
Are blank and purely fair, 
But time soon writeth memories, 
And painteth pictures there. 

" Love is the little golden clasp 
That bindeth up the trust ; 
Oh, break it not ; lest all the leaves 
Shall scatter and be lost." 



Who can prize it ? Gold, precious gem§ ? Young 
man, have you considered its value duly ? Parent, 
have you ? its salutary influence on the mind and the 
heart ? the help it affords in training your offspring 
in the way they should go ? We say ' a good family 
book.' What do we mean by this ? Not merely 
truthful, but solid also, pure, edifying, enlightening, 
sanctifying. One that utters freely, fearlessly, meekly, 
all the words of this life, keeping back no part of the 
price, reformatory. Such a book is invaluable. It 
will speak when nothing else can or will speak, to 
father, mother, son and daughter, man servant and 
maid servant. The silent influence of such a book in 
the family, and, through ten thousand families, on the 
heart of the great community, is briefly stated by a 
writer unknown to us, in the following paragraph : — 

" A large portion of our best moral impressions and 



232 A GOOD FAMILY BOOK. 

sentiments have been suggested, reiterated, and fast- 
ened on the mind by the family press. The pulpit 
can do much ; parental instruction in many cases does 
much ; but the press is, in the present day, necessary 
to both. Let any reader of a well-written, religious 
family book open its pages, and consider thoughtfully 
its contents. There are sometimes from seventy-five 
to one hundred separate and distinct articles, each one 
conveying an idea, a fact, or a sentiment, stated or 
illustrated so as to produce an effect, in enlarging the 
reader's store of knowledge, or giving a right direc- 
tion to thought, feeling, or action. Must not all this 
have its influence, and in the aggregate a mighty in- 
fluence, upon the reader ? Xo reflecting man can fail 
to see that a family volume, carefully and prayerfully 
prepared, sound in theology, elevated in its moral 
tone, and withal interesting in its contents, must exert 
a great and blessed influence upon domestic life. 
Children growing up under such influences, are far 
more likely to be intelligent, correct in their opinions 
and morals, and better prepared for the active duties 
of life, than they could possibly have been without it." 
" He that'walketh witli wise men, shall be wise." 
How far " Home Thrusts " comport with the above 
delineation, meet the wants of the age, we leave our 
readers to judge. 

" A good book lives when you are dead, 
Light on the darkened mind it sheds, 
Good seed it sows, from age to age, 
Through all this mortal pilgrimage, 
It nurses the gems of holy trust, 
It wakes untired when you are dust." 



THE MARRIED RELATION. 



233 




THE MARRIED RELATION. — KO. I. 

" And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: 1 
will make him an help meet for him." Gen. ii. 8. " Whoso jindeth 
a wife, jindeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord." Prov 
xviii. 22. 



11 Domestic happiness ! thou only bliss 
Of paradise that hast survived the fall. 
Happy they I the happiest of their kind, 
Whom gentler stars unite, and in one fate 
Their hearts, their fortunes, and their being blend." 

But " Can two walk together except they he agreed V s 
The command is positive : " Be not unequally 
yoked together with unbelievers ; for what fellowship 
hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what 
communion hath light with darkness ? and what con- 
cord hath Christ with Belial ? or what part hath he 
that believeth with an infidel ?" 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15. 



234: THE MARRIED RELATION. 

How many wretched households from disobeying 
God in the conjugal relation ! 

11 1 stood beside her dying bed, 

And know she gladly welcomed death— 
The wife of one to honor dead, 

One who had drawn no sober breath 
For many years — but lost to shame, 

And all of manhood's boast and pride ; 
He only lived to beat and blame, 

Up to the hour in which she died." 

" It is an evil and bitter thing to sin against God." 
" Can it be shown that it is the will of God that 
his children should intermarry with the children of 
this world ? Do the examples before the flood show 
it to be his will ? (Gen. vi. 1-7.) Do the examples 
under the law show it to be his will ? (Deut. vi. 3. 
4 ; Neh. xii. 26 ; 1 Kings xi. 1-6.) Or does any thing 
in the teaching and exhortations of Jesus and his 
apostles show it to be his will ? (2 Cor. vi. 14-18 ; 
1 Cor. v. 15-29.)" 

The marriage of believers with unbelievers, the 
elect people of God with those unapproved by him, 
has been contrary to his will in all ages, and fraught 
with the most direful results to those immediately 
concerned ; whilst obedience has always been attended 
with his blessing. Moses warned the Israelites against 
making covenants or marriages with the Canaanites, 
because of the evil consequences which would result, 
viz., " they will turn away thy son from following 



THE MARRIED RELATION. 285 

me, that they may serve other gods ; so will the anger 
of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee 
suddenly." Deut. vii. 3, 4. Joshua, also, after he had 
led them into the land, and divided it to them by lot, 
a little while before his death, reminds them of the 
danger of cleaving to the remnant of the seven nations 
of Canaan which was left among them. He told 
them, that if they should make marriages with them, 
" Know of a certainty that the Lord your God will 
no more drive out these nations from before you ; but 
they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges 
in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you per- 
ish from off this good land which the Lord God has 
given you." Josh, xxiii. 13. Israel was a chosen 
people, and Jehovah wished them to be preserved 
from the vices of the Gentiles, and for this reason 
commanded that they should not intermarry with 
them. Solomon, the king of Israel, disregarded this 
injunction, and incurred the displeasure of Jehovah, 
and " his wives turned away his heart after other 
gods." 1 Kings xi. Read the 9th and 10th chapters 
of Ezra, and Neh. xiii. 23-31, for an account of the 
manner in which the great reformers, Ezra and Nehe- 
miah, regarded this law of their God, and their efforts 
to enforce its observance. 

We can easily perceive that the fathers understood 
this matter, even before there was any recorded law. 
Witness the paternal care of good old Abraham over 



230 THE MARRIED RELATION. 

his son Isaac, in making the ruler of his household 
swear that he would fulfil his desire in procuring a 
wife for his son. Says he : "I will make thee swear 
by the Lord the God of heaven, and the God of the 
earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son 
of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom you 
dwell ; but thou shalt go unto my country, and to my 
kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac." Gen. 
xxv. 3, 4. Now Abraham had the testimony from 
the Lord prior to this, — " I know him, that he will 
command his children and his household after him, 
and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do jus- 
tice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon 
Abraham, that which he has spoken of him." Gen. 
xviii. 19. Abraham's command to his servant about 
procuring a wife for Isaac, w T as approved by Jehovah, 
as may be seen by reading the narrative of his jour- 
ney to Mesopotamia. 

Also Isaac in his old age blessed Jacob, and charged 
him, saying, " Thou shalt not take a w T ife of the 
daughters of Canaan." Gen. xxviii. 6. Both Isaac 
and Jacob regarded the law of their parents in this 
matter, and were blessed of heaven. . . . Now a 
Christian is a child of God — one who loves to hear 
and obey his heavenly Father in all things ; and as 
such he is beloved by God, and his Christ ; is specially 
cared for, and highly honored. Then how can such 
a person affiliate with one of his enemies — an enemy 



THE MARKIED RELATION. 237 

of God and Christ ? How become the partner for 
life — the bosom companion of one who is " dead in 
trespasses and sins," " an alien from •the common- 
wealth of Israel, a stranger to the covenants of prom- 
ise," one who is without hope and without God in the 
world ? The Apostle Paul might well ask the Corin- 
thian brethren, " What fellowship has righteousness 
with unrighteousness and what communion has light 
with darkness ? and what concord has Christ with 
Belial ? or what part has he who believes with an in- 
fidel ? And what agreement has the temple of God 
with idols ? for ' ye are the temple of the living God ; 
as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in 
them ; and I will be their God, and they shall be my 
people.' ' Wherefore come out from among them, and 
be ye separate, saith the Lord, and I will receive 
you.' " 2 Cor. vi. 14-17. 

This being unequally yoked was the particular sin 
for which God drowned the old world. Some of Lot's 
daughters married in Sodom, and perished in the 
overthrow. Both Ishmael and Esau married irreli- 
giously, and were both rejected and turned persecu- 
tors. The first blasphemer that was stoned by God's 
command is marked as an offspring of one of these 
marriages — his mother had espoused an Egyptian. 

" Thrice liappy they in pure delights, 
Whom love with mutual bonds unites ; 
Unbroken by complaints or strife ; 
And binding each to each for life." 



238 THE MARRIED RELATION. 

THE MARRIED RELATION. -10. II. 

• PREMATURE MATRIMONY. 

Marriage is a divine and beautiful arrangement, 
as designed in God's providence ; it is the blending 
of two spirits into one. Man is incomplete without 
his wife : he has strength, she has beauty. " It is not 
good that man should be alone." " Whoso findeth a 
wife findeth a good thing." 

"Of all the joys that man can feel, 
The purest sure are there ! 
While o'er his heart affections steal, 
Like balmy summer air ; 
His wife's caress, his children's smile, 
Unlike the world, are free from guile." 

Premature marriages are among the greatest evils 
of the times — the result of fancy. The ball-room or 
evening party never develops real character. Matches 
made at such places, or made under similar circum- 
stances, are not of the class that originate in Heaven. 
They more generally are conceived in the opposite 
place, and bring forth only iniquity. The true way 
to learn each other is to do it at home, in the parlor, 
in the kitchen, and on occasions that test the temper. 
We see the result of these unions in the almost daily 
divorces that are taking place ; in the running away 
of husbands — leaving their wives and children to 
starve — and in the elopement of wives. Not only 



THE MARRIED RELATION. 239 

tins, but we witness it in broken-spirited men, made 
old in the prime of life, struggling on for mere food, 
clothing, and mere shelter ; and in woman, cross, slut- 
tish, and wrinkled. 

And the result does not stop with the husband and 
wife. There are the children ; they partake of the 
feebleness and vices of the parents, both physical and 
moral, and go out into the world stunted and gnarled. 

Young friends, beware ! 



" lasses, take care where fancy lights, 
This wide world's full of snares ; 
The end of frolicsome fancy's flights 
Is oft a nest of cares." 



A judicious writer, alluding to the matrimonial 
Btate, says : " There is not a city, scarcely a township, 
which does not number among its inhabitants women 
who have married on very short acquaintance, only 
to be abused, deserted, and left a burden and a life- 
long sorrow to the families in which they were born 
and reared, and which they most imprudently and 
improperly deserted to share the fortunes of relative 
strangers. If young ladies would realize how grossly 
indelicate, as well as culpably reckless such marriages 
appear in the eyes of the observing, they surely would 
forbear. A year's thorough acquaintance, with the 
most circumstantial accounts, from disinterested and 
reliable witnesses, of the antecedents from childhood, 



240 THE MARRIED RELATION. 

are the very least guarantee which any woman who 
realizes what marriage is, wilt require of a stranger. 
Even then, if her parents are not fully satisfied as well 
as herself, she should still hesitate. Marriage is an 
undertaking in which no delay can be so hazardous 
as undue precipitation." 

" A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth 
himself; but the simple pass on and are punished." — 
Solomon. 

- In how many instances, to the present day, is mar- 
riage merely a union of hands — the affection not 
being even taken into consideration. The question 
on the one side " Is she handsome ? has she money ?" 
On the other, " Can he support me in style ? shall I 
be able to make an appearance?" How much better 
would it be to ask, " Has the woman a heart capable 
of pure affection ? will she be willing to share with 
me adversity as well as prosperity ! will she forsake 
all others and cleave only to me through weal and 
woe ?" 

And woman, yes, woman, she whose very nature 
ought to stimulate her to higher and holier motives 
for taking upon herself the marriage relation, is too 
often only anxious as to the length of her husband's 
purse, and the amount of his bank stock. The heart, 
the mind, the intellect, yes, every thing really worth 
marrying for, being non-essentials. 

But, oh, the misery which too often follows such 



THE MARRIED RELATION. 241 

marriages ! The husband, when it is too late, laments 
his blindness and his folly. The wife is made to real- 
ize that riches take to themselves wings and fly away ; 
and then comes the consciousness of a want of sym- 
pathy and congeniality of feelings. Both are thrown 
back upon themselves, for not a chord in the breast 
of one vibrates in unison with the other. 

Let the young beware how they enter the marriage 
state from such motives, lest they wake too late from 
the delusion. Consult the judgment, and hesitate 
when that says, " Beware." Let the property be in 
rather than with the companion. 

Oh, the loneliness of an unwedded heart ! The 
hands may be united, but to feel that in heart you are 
separated, must be misery indeed. To think of being 
obliged to associate for life with one who has not a 
feeling of sympathy with you, and who is, moreover, 
in sentiment, taste, and feeling directly opposed to 
you — how revolting the thought ! 

Then, let love, not ambition, lead you to form those 
ties that naught but death can honorably sever. 

Beloved, weigh well the consequences of one wrong 
or hasty step in the choice of a companion for life. 
Walk softly here, lest you fall to rise no more. Seek 
wisdom from above. " In all thy ways acknowledge 
the Lord, and he shall direct thy paths." " Seek first 
the kingdom of God and his righteousness" at all 
times, and you are safe. 

11 



M2 BARE AND DO. 

" Ob, happy state ! when souls each other draw; 
When love is liberty and nature's law ; 
All then is full, possessing and possessed, 
No craving- void left aching in the breast ; 
E'en thought meets thought, ere from the lips it part, 
And each warm wish springs mutual from the heart." 



DARE AND DO. 

Dare to think, though bigots frown ; 

Dare in words your thoughts express ; 
Dare to rise, though oft east down ; 

Dare the wronged and scorned to bless. 

Dare from custom to depart ; 

Dare the priceless pearl possess ; 
Dare to wear it next your heart ; 

Dare, when sinners curse, to bless. 

Dare forsake what you deem wrong ; 

Dare to walk in wisdom's way ; 
Dare to give where gifts belong ; 

Dare God's precepts to obey. 

Do what conscience says is right ; 

Do what reason says is- best, 
Do with willing mind and heart ; 

Do your duty and be blest. 



TWO BETTER THAN ONE. 24:3 

"TWO BETTER THAN ONE." 

HUSBANDS AND WIVES — WIYES AND HUSBANDS. 

" Sweetest names to mortals given, 
Father, Mother, Home, and Heaven, 
Husband, Wife. To live — how drear 
Were those banished from our sphere." 

Husbands and wives should make each other a 
subject of special prayer daily. 

The most happy, prosperous, joyful husbands and 
wives are those who pray most in faith, look to God 
evermore unitedly for his continued, special interpo- 
sitions and gracious outpourings. Thus their hearts 
are knit together in heavenly union. 

" Oh ! there's a theme to make each dream 
And power to make each hour 
As light and sweet as the bloom at our feet, 
"Which is cull'd from the May-day flower." 

A daily prayer from the heart of a pure and pious 
wife, for a husband engrossed in the pursuit of wealth 
or fame, is a chain of golden words that links his 
name every day with the name of God. He may 
snap it three hundred and sixty-five times in a year, 
for many years, but the chances are, that, in time, he 
will mark the sundered filaments, and seek to re-unite 
them in an everlasting bond. 

" Oft as clouds my path o'erspread 
Doubtful where my steps should tread, 
She with judgment's steady ray 
Marks and smooths the better way." 



244 TWO BETTER THAN ONE. 

Prayer is the mainspring, the very life of connu- 
bial felicity, the cementing link. The way for husbands 
and wives to live together prosperously, God-fearingly, 
is to pray often for and with each other, unitedly, 
statedly, frequently. 

Wives, dear, do you encourage your loved compan- 
ions in this duty ? Embrace every opportunity for 
this holy exercise ? Do you ever throw a stumbling- 
block in the way, manifest the least indifference, or 
reluctance when he solicits your aid at the throne of 

grace ? 

"A look will sometimes send a pang 
Of anguish to the heart ; 
A tone will often cause the tear 
In sorrow's eye to start." 

What more needful, more important, for husbands 
and wives than to unite at the mercy-seat for wisdom, 
patience, meekness, long-suffering, gentleness, good- 
ness, faith, grace upon grace ? How is it possible for 
husbands and wives to live together as they ought, in 
peace, love, joy, harmony, good will, be fully pre- 
pared to meet the emergencies of the day, the vicissi- 
tudes of life, save on the principle of united, persever- 
ing, heartfelt intercession at the feet of Jesus for his 
special interposition ? Here it is, on the bended knee 
of humble, united trust Godward that grace is found, 
solace, strength of purpose, holy resolution, deliver- 
ance in temptation, increased faith, hope, joy — joy 
unspeakable and full of glory. Husbands and wives 



TWO BETTER THAN ONE. 245 

thus united in spiritual things, heavenly, become ce- 
mented more and more in conjugal felicity, matrimo- 
nial friendship, and every good word and work ; go 
on from strength to strength, shining brighter and 
brighter unto the perfect day. Glorious ! 

" Prayer has no place peculiar^ its own — 
No lofty temple, with its shining throne, 
But everywhere the knee may bow, 
The soul may breathe in accents low, 
Its humble wants." 

No common business matters should hinder these 
frequent united visitations at the Throne of thrones, 
the source of light, life, and salvation. No press of 
secular duty, social or individual — no duties in the 
nursery or in the parlor — no duties indoors or out, 
should be suffered to hinder or cut short these blessed 
seasons of lifting the eye to the hills whence cometh 
all our help. Pray, pray ; cease not ; lay aside every 
weight, the sin so liable to beset us ; flee to the mercy- 
seat. The time spent in prayer is gold seven times 
purified ; gain, infinite gain. It is gain every way; 
turn it which way you please it is gain, temporally, 
spiritually, everlastingly. 

" It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, 

And drives away our fears ; 
It makes the wounded spirit whole, 

And calms the troubled breast; 
*Tis manna to the hungry soul, 

And to the weary rest." 

Wives, let your dear husbands see, feel, and know 



246 TWO BETTER THAN ONE. 

that your hearts are in unison with theirs, your souls, 
your lives. Let them realise in very deed that hus- 
bands and wives are one flesh, one in spirit, one in 
hope, one in prayer, whenever and wherever the 
Holy Spirit inclines in the least to devotion or inter- 
cession. What can possibly be more encouraging, 
happifying, joyful, soul-cheering, to a devotedly pious, 
consecrated husband, than for his beloved wife to say 
" amen and amen" to every holy duty in the closet, 
in the family circle, everywhere f It is life to his in- 
most soul, joy, salvation ! " Two are better than one, 
and a threefold cord is not easily broken." 

"Around each pure domestic shrine 
Bright flowers of Eden bloom and twine, 
Our hearths are altars all." 

So say we to husbands, what we say to one say we 
also to the other, Let there be perfect, united,peaceful, 

joyful harmony of soul evermore between husbands 

« 

and wives, that prayer be not hindered. " Can two 
walk together except they be agreed ?" " Be ye not 
unequally yoked together with unbelievers." The 
household should be a Bethel, the very gate of 
heaven. 

" watch and pray ! for thou hast foes to fight, 
Foes which alone thou canst not overcome ; 
Watching and prayer will keep thine armor bright; 
Soon will thy toils be o'er, thy victory won. 

watch and pray! the Judge is at the door, 
Before his flaming bar thou soon must stand ; 

watch ! and keep thy garments spotless pure, 
And thou shalt then be found at his right hand," 



FAMILY REVIVALS. 



247 




FAMILY REVIVALS. 

" Kich dews of grace come o'er us, 

In many a gentle shower ; 

And brighter scenes before us 

Are opening every hour." 

In the nursery is where revivals should commence. 
Every family should be a revival family — a Bethel — 
a house of God — the gate of heaven. The very mo- 
ment a child is born, the revival should begin, the 
work of regeneration and sanctification. As soon as 
the little one opens its eyes, beholds the light of a 
new world, just so soon should this work of salvation 
commence — this purifying, sanctifying process. Every 
thought, word, look, act, every moving muscle of the 
parent or nurse, should be a sermon, living, perpet- 
ual, indelible. 

The infant, long before it can lisp the endearing 
name papa or mamma, is capable of receiving impres- 
sions, deep, salutary, permanent, everlasting. This 
household sermonizing, this constant dedication, con- 



248 FAMILF REVIVALS. 

secration, and sanctifying discipline, should never 
cease till the work of salvation is done, and well done 
— till the soul is safe — Christ formed in the h^eart the 
hope of glory, purified, washed clean in the Re- 
deemer's blood, made meet for heaven, glory everlast- 
ing. This is gospel, discipline, precisely what God 
requires, what is implied by the inspired penman in 
training a child in the way he should go, in the nur- 
ture and admonition of the Lord ; and thus trained, 
when he is old he will not depart from it. 

Nothing short of this early gospel entireness in 
family discipline will meet the emergencies of the 
day; the requirements of parental duty thwart en- 
tirely Satan's kingdom, cause salvation to stream, go 
forth as the light of the morning. 

Family revivals are the revivals, the bright dawn- 
ings of millennial glory, when " all shall know the 
Lord from the least to the greatest." Public revivals 
are good, national revivals, state revivals, city revi- 
vals, church revivals also ; these must be. But the 
great desideratum in the world's conversion is family 
revivals."* 

* Says the Kev. A. Pryne : — " "We do not believe that any child is 
born so depraved that it cannot be trained to love and goodness. 
Neither society, nor even the church, ever attempts to train childhood 
up to Christianity from the start. There is a horrid theory on this sub- 
ject, which prevents all efforts to train children into being Christians, 
until they have first become semi-devils by the world r s training. Con- 
version is supposed to be impossible until after they have plunged for 
years into wickedness. But the fact is, infancy is the very time to train 



FAMILY REVIVALS. 249 

Parents must be the priests, the church officers, the 
nursing fathers and mothers — living witnesses, walk- 
ing steadfastly, God-fearingly every step. Every breath 
should be faith working by love. Every child in the 
house should be a member of this household church, 
trained from the cradle dawnings in the way it should 
go, solely and unreservedly for God, for missionary 
service. These revivals should commence as soon as 
the little ones are born ; yes, dedicated to God in em- 
bryo being ! God in mercy gave us samples in little 
Samuel, John the Baptist, Timothy. 

" Call the children early, parent, 
Give the little lambs thy care ; 
See that they are folded safe, 
Within the heart of prayer. 
Call them at the dawn of day, 
Lead them in the narrow way." 

" Children are the heritage of the Lord. It is the 
Father's good pleasure to give them the kingdom. 
They are therefore to be ' brought to Christ' — to be 
trained for God — to be ' brought up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord.*' To this end he intends 
the Christian family to be a school of Christ — to live 
in a holy atmosphere, in which the children shall be 
bathed and nurtured as in a divine, genial element. 

the mind to Christian affections and principles. The mother can instill 
the love of goodness into the guileless heart of the child, long before 
the creed or the church recognises its moral accountability. Piety thus 
wrought into the plastic substance of the guileless soul, would be per- 
manent and pure." 

11* 



250 FAMILY REVINALS. 

He would have them put on the Lord Jesus Christ 
with the first garments of their childhood, and drink 
in Christian sentiments from the mother's loving, 
beaming eyes as they hang upon the breast. He in- 
tends them to learn religion as they learn a thousand 
other things, from the spirit and tone of the family 
— from its vocal thanksgivings and songs of praise — 
from its quiet, joyous Sabbaths — from the penitent 
tear, the humble carriage, the tender accents, the rev- 
erent look and attitude of the father, when, as a 
priest, he offers the morning and the evening sacri- 
fice. The new immortal that has fallen down into 
the midst of the Christian family is to be taken into 
the soul of its piety, to be sanctified by its prayer and 
faith, and to form a part of that reasonable and accep- 
table offering in which, morning and evening, the 
godly parents lay all that they are, and all that they 
have, on the altar of sacrifice. This, with faithful, 
diligent instructions, and restraints adapted to the 
different periods and exigencies of childhood and 
youth, is the nurture of the Lord — the right training 
which, under our gracious economy, insures the early 
piety of the children of Christian families. They 
grow up Christians. They are sanctified from the 
womb. Even their childish prattle savors of divine 
things ; and they pass on to the attainments and 
functions of mature piety by gradations so easy and 
imperceptible, that it is not always possible to fix the 
day of their espousals to the Saviour." 



THE MODEL SCHOOL. 251 

THE MODEL SCHOOL; 

OR, WHAT SCHOOL SHALL WE CHOOSE FOR OUR 
CHILDREN ? 

Question momentous ! On this choice hangs the 
eternal destiny of millions ! 

1. The first thing is a good teacher — a man of God, 
well qualified in every respect for his office. " The 
value of a good teacher," says Channing, " is incalcu- 
lable. There is no office higher than that of a teacher 
of youth, for there is nothing on earth so precious as 
the mind, soul, and character of the child. No office 
should be regarded with greater respect. The first 
minds in a community should be encouraged to as- 
sume it. Parents should do all but impoverish them- 
selves, to induce such to become the guardians 'and 
guides of their children. To this good all their show 
and luxury should be sacrificed. Here they should be 
lavish, whilst they straiten themselves in every thing 
else. They should wear the cheapest clothes, live on 
the plainest food, if they can in no other way secure 
to their families the best instruction. They should 
have no anxiety to accumulate property for their chil- 
dren, provided they can place them under influences 
which will awaken their faculties, inspire them with 
higher and holier principles, and fit them to bear a 
manly, useful, and honorable part in the world. No 
language can express the cruelty or folly of that 



252 THE MODEL SCHOOL. 

economy which, to leave a fortune to a child, starves 
his intellect and impoverishes his heart." 

2. A school where prayer is offered daily, and where 
the word of God is read — inculcated, brought home 
to every heart. 

3. Where the morals of the pupils are a prominent 
item, the first and the last. Learning, without virtue 
and the fear of the Lord, is a curse. 

4. A school where profanity, lewdness, folly and 
fashion, misbehavior, ill manners, immoral conduct of 
any kind, are not tolerated for a moment — in doors or 
out. 

5. Where parents may safely and confidently in- 
trust their children without receiving the least vicious 
or contaminating influence in thought, word, or deed. 

6. And finally, where the great and all-absorbing 
aim and motives are to train immortals, physically, 
mentally, morally, and spiritually, for usefulness and 
happiness here, and glory eternal, through life ever 
lasting. 

Parents, guardians, what think you ? is this the 
kind of school you prefer above all others ? Are you 
in search for it? Is there any thin <£ short of this 
model safe or worthy the name ? 

For what were we created ? For what do we live ? 
" Wisdom is profitable to direct." " Seek first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness." 

Eeader, what think you of this model school ? 



THE MODEL SCHOOL. 253 

Are we visionary ? Say you, " If the windows of 
heaven were opened, we might then look for such 
things ?" Suppose Jesus Christ should appoint a 
school or seminary, would the model be less perfect ? 
Would he give any license to sin ? We appeal to 
the w r ord and the testimony, by and by the day is 
coming, the day that will burn as an oven. Who 
will abide the day ? " There is an evil under the sun," 
one, two, three, four, which causes mothers to weep, 
and angels to w T eep ! Our common schools, public 
schools, select schools, and higher seminaries, with all 
their excellences, need reforming. A corrupting in- 
fluence goes forth and will go forth, until there is a 
thorough and radical change in " rearing the tender 
thought." 

Children and youth of evil hearts, mingle together, 
and corrupt each other. We have seen very modest, 
lovely, obedient children previous to their attendance 
at school — but O, what a change came over them ! 
Instead of that sweet, mild, amiable, affectionate, 
lamb-like deportment, once so visible and prominent, 
what now ? Where now that pure, honest, lovely 
simplicity, that entire freedom from guile, falsehood, 
and disobedience? O, where? Alas for that image 
of innocency and heavenly sweetness ! Where has it 
fled ? " How is the gold become dim, how is. the most 
fine gold changed." An enemy hath done this. Pa- 
rents see the fatal change when alas ! too late, and 



251 THE MODEL SCHOOL. 

lament. " O my son, O my daughter, what the 
cause ? where and of whom have you inhaled the poi- 
son ? Where and of whom didst thou learn these 
habits of evil? selfish habits, proud, foolish, disobe- 
dient, lewd, profane ? Surely the serpent hath be- 
guiled thee ? Tour education, I fear, will prove your 
eternal ruin." 

Parent, " Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a 
covenant with the inhabitants of the land, whither 
thou goest, lest it be a snare in the midst of thee." 

" Blessed is the man that w r alketh not in the coun- 
sel of the ungodly." 

" 'tis a lovely thing for youth, 
To walk betimes in wisdom's ways." 

" Evil communications corrupt good manners." A 
kind, pious mother remarked recently, that her little 
daughter had been taught from her earliest lispings, 
to walk modestly, obediently — always. Never was 
she permitted to deviate .a hair's breadth from virtue's 
path, strict, obedient, family discipline. She was 
bloomingly fair, as the morning rose ; the smile of 
innocence beamed joyfully. 

" The charm of intellect was there ; 

And purest gems of lustre rare, 
And richer far than gold, 
• Were stored in her capacious mind, 

And in her heart of hearts enshrined. # 

These gems were knowledge, kindness, truth, 

And heaven-born piety." 



THE MODEL SCHOOL. 255 

But, alas, on a sndden, in an evil hour, to her weeping 
mortification, she saw a change for the worse. This 
sweet, innocent lamb of a child, angel-like, began, 
unexpectedly, to manifest signs of discontent, pride, 
deceit, self-will, disobedience. Where, — oh, where, — 
the serpent in the grass ? This little girl had secretly 
mingled with children of loose character, of a corrupt- 
ing tendency, and the serpent's deadly influence had 
found its way to her heart, and her spotless robe of 
innocence was marred ! 

Mothers, are you diligently, prayerfully watchful 
over your charge ? do you keep your little ones as the 
apple of the eye, — shun the first appearance of evil ? 

It is exceedingly dangerous to send sons or daugh- 
ters to institutions where " evil communications cor- 
rupt good manners." Very many promising youths 
have been corrupted, ruined, indeed, soul and body, 
for time and eternity, by coming in contact with 
vicious associates while pursuing their preliminary 
scientific or collegiate course. Parents should be well 
posted on this point, know for a certainty the char- 
acter, habits, and sentiments of the institutions, 
academic, collegiate, or theological, to which they 
intrust their rising offspring. Every school or educa- 
tional institution should be a nursery of piety, pure 
as the atmosphere of heaven. The influence issuing 
from these schools of the prophets should be heavenly, 
soul-saving. Instead of this, alas ! how many are 



256 THE MODEL SCHOOL. 

morally pestilential, corrupting, and demoralizing 
hot-beds of iniquity ! 

Some colleges and theological institutions that once 
stood high for good morals and spiritual elevation, 
have sadly degenerated, lowered the gospel standard, 
bowed the ear to popular, conservative views, become 
exceedingly lax in morals -and discipline. Beware, 
parents, beware, as you value the cause of freedom 
and salvation, your own peace, the present, future, 
and everlasting welfare of your sons and daughters, 
how you " rear the tender thought." 

Train up your little ones in the way they should 
go, " in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," 
and they will not only be olive plants around your 
table, but ornaments of virtuous purity in society, 
blessings to the community and the world. 

u How strikingly say Moses' first impressions, 
4 Train up a child the way that he should go,' 
And scarce less plainly do foul crime's confessions, 
The wisdom of this maxim daily show. 

Trained up for God, by her, his Hebrew mother, 
He feared not, in his riper years, the wrath 

Of Pharaoh and his court, or any other, 
So that Jehovah smiled upon his path. 

In faith he turned from Egypt's sinful pleasures, 

And chose affliction with the friends of God ;— 
Forsook the throne of Pharaoh and its treasures, * 
And early taught the paths of duty trod." 



THE LITTLE ONES. 



257 



THE LITTLE OMS. 

THE LAMBS OF THE FLOCK. 

u O'er wayward children wouldst thou hold firm rule, 
And sun thee in the light of happy faces ? 
Love, Hope, and Patience — these must be thy graces, 
And in thine own heart let them first keep school." 

" Children will be children." 

"Well, be it so, that is, 
children are not men in sta- 
ture or in wisdom. They 
are not sage philosophers, 
profound theologians. Their 
reasoning faculties are not 
developed. They are child- 
ren in judgment, in logi- 
cal reasoning. But when 
we say " Children are child- 
ren, and will be children," 
what do we mean? That 
children are to be dunces, 
clowns, buffoons, play tru- 
ant, be vain, foolish, trifling, nonsensical, fretful, dis- 
obedient? Is there any license for children, to sin 
against God, because they are children ? Does God 
anywhere make distinction between little folks and 
great folks, touching our moral deportment? 

Are not God's precepts as binding on the lambs of 




258 THE LITTLE ONES. 

the flock as on those of riper years, where light is 
given? Did little Samuel, after being dedicated to 
God's service, manifest self-will, impatience, or diso- 
bedience ? Have we not every reason to believe that 
he was kind, loving, obedient, God-fearing ; exem- 
plary in his deportment, conscie?itiously scrupulous in 
his every-day walk and conversation ? a bright exam- 
ple of virtue, all that is true, honest, just, lovely, and 
of good report ? The same also, we believe, was true 
of John the Baptist and little Timothy, who were 
taught the holy Scriptures from their childhood. And 
if, on any occasion, the slightest deviation from strict 
rectitude or consistency was observed in them, the 
restraining hand of reproof and discipline was imme- 
diately put forth. 

When we see children professing godliness, care- 
less, thoughtless, foolish, fond of their former vain, 
trifling associates and pastimes, manifesting an unsub- 
dued will and temper, neglecting the Bible, secret 
prayer, and other religious duties, what evidence have 
we that these children are indeed changed by grace, 
true disciples of the Lord Jesus ? " By their fruits ye 
shall know them." Deception here, we fear, is very 
common, a deception too lamentable, fraught with 
evil immense ! God is greatly dishonored, the soul 
is jeopardized, the gospel standard is lowered, a deep 
and lasting reproach is brought upon the cause dearer 
than life. Children born of God are expected to walk 



THE LITTLE ONES. 259 

softly, exhibit Christ in their daily walk and conver 
sation, be living epistles, read and known of all men, 
ornaments in society, " olive plants around the table," 
precious, lively stones in God's house, active in the 
divine life. 

" The lambs of Jesus, who are they 
But children who believe and pray — 
That keep God's laws and ask his grace, 
And seek a heavenly dwelling-place. 

The lambs of Jesus they are meek, 
The words of peace and truth they speak ; 
To all God's creatures they are kind, 
And, like their Lord, of gentle mind." 

They may, and probably will be, more vivacious, 
sprightly, lively, energetic, buoyant, in juvenile life 
than when advanced to years of manhood and decre- 
pit old age. This is natural ; we have no sympathy 
whatever with ascetic piety, gloomy misanthropy, or 
the monkish austere recluse. Religion is happifying; 
cheerfulness and joyfulness are commendable, the 
fruits of faith and hope in God. The fruit of the 
Spirit is love, peace, joy, long-suffering, gentleness, 
goodness, faith. 

" The sorrows of the mind 

Be banished from the place, 
Religion never was designed 
To niake our pleasures less." 

Religion is in every way just the reverse of gloom 
or sadness. It imparts true pleasure and abiding 
peace, and sweetens everything in life. 



260 THE LITTLE ONES. 

But when and where does God palliate sin \ There 
is one Bible, one Spirit, one precept, " one Saviour 
for great folks and little folks." " Be ye holy, for I 
am holy," is applicable to every son and daughter of 
Adam's fallen race. A beloved minister stated re 
cently, in a social meeting, a beautiful fact touching 
a little daughter of his, very young, whose heart God 
had touched with the finder of his love. She was a 
bright and vivid example of purity and Christian con- 
sistency, conscientiously scrupulous in all her doings, 
in rising up and lying down, in going out and coming 
in, in her dietetic habits, in secret devotion, in read- 
ing God's word, and in every Christian duty. So 
very discerning was she in heavenly things that, when- 
ever she observed the slightest deviation in her pious 
parents from gospel purity, strict rectitude in their 
walk or conversation, or the omission of any duty, 
however small, she would drop a meek and gentle 
reproof. Indeed she was truly a sweet and lovely 
angel of obedience, a shining pattern of Christian ex- 
cellence. Sight lovely, angelically beautiful! All 
heaven must sing glory on glory, hallelujah on halle- 
lujah, on beholding this little bud of immortality 
blooming forth its heavenly fragrance ! Surely Solo- 
mon in all his glory was not arfayed like one of 
these. Parents, beloved, is this example of early 
piety too highly colored? above your reach, your 
hope, your aim ? Is this walking in white, unspotted 



THE SWEET STORY OF OLD. 261 

by the world, too much to expect from your little 
ones ? Is anything too hard for the Lord ? Why 
may not all little children, every little son and daugh- 
ter professing godliness be thus taught, thus minded, 
with God's book in our hands? the Holy Spirit bear- 
ing witness % " According to your faith be it unto 
you." • 

"O'er the head of listening children 
Christ his sweetest blessing gave, 
Little hands may aid his mission 
A dying world to save." 



THE SWEET STORY OF OLD. 

" 1 think, when I read that sweet story of old, 
When Jesus was here among; men, 
How he called little children as lambs to his fold ; 
I should like to have been with him then. 

I wish that his hands had been placed on my head, 

That his arms had been thrown around me, 
And that I might have seen his kind look when he 

said, 
4 Let the little ones come unto me.' 

Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go, 

And ask for a share in his love ; 
And if I thus earnestly seek him below, 

I shall see him and hear him above, 

In that beautiful place he has gone to prepare, 
For all who are washed and forgiven; 

And many dear children are gathering there, 
For of such is the kingdom of heaven." 



262 FAMILY DUTIES MORNING AND EVENING. 

FAMILY DUTIES-MORNING AND EVENING. 

" To prayer, to prayer ; — for the morning breaks, 
And earth in her Maker's smiles awakes ; 
His light is on all below, above, 
The light of gladness, the light of love. 
then, on the breath of the early air, 
Send up the incense of grateful prayer." 

In the evening — 

" To prayer for the glorious sun is gone, 
And the gathering darkness of night comes on, 
Like a curtain from heaven's high hand it flows, 
To shade the couch where his children repose. 
Then kneel, while the watching stars are bright, 
And give your last thoughts to the Guardian of night." 

Never hurry your morning and evening services 
in your family. Can any thing be lost by giving 
sufficient time in the closet and around the family 
altar ? Is it not gain every way, temporally and 
spiritually 2 Let no secular business hinder you or 
drive you hence. Say to the world, " Stay thou here 
while I go yonder and pray " — to the tempter, " Get 
thee hence, Satan, it is written thou shalt worship the 
Lord thy God ; and him only shalt thou serve." 

In these hallowed scenes, he sure and have all your 
family present, — little ones and great ones, man-ser- 
vants and maid-servants. Honor God, and God will 
honor you. 

" How sweet to join in social prayer, 

And mingle hearts with those we love, 
Our mutual woes and comforts share, 
Sweet fellowship like that above." 



FAMILY DUTIES — MORNING AND EVENING. 263 

"When the heart is right with God, calm, sweet, 
peaceful, heavenly, everything goes right. In this 
happy, joyful, composed state of mind, business men, 
merchants, printers, mechanics, husbandmen, doctors, 
lawyers, ministers, editors, — all, great and small — 
can accomplish tenfold, walking thus in wisdom's 
ways, God-fearingly, strengthened with might in the 
inner man. A man rich in faith, full of the Holy 
Spirit, is a giant, he rises above the world, its tempta- 
tions, trials, conflicts. He dpes everything in the 
spirit of meekness and love. Some holy men spend 
hours in the morning feasting on angel's food. They 
drink deeply at the living fountain. Then, when they 
go forth in the battle-field, Satan trembles before 
them ! God smiles graciously on their labors, on 
things secular and divine, all the day, gloriously ! 
Get your souls on fire, richly imbued with the spirit 
of holy benevolence, build on solid rock! " Let the 
word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, 
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and 
hymns and spiritual songs ; singing with grace in 
your hearts to the Lord." 

Wait on God, put on the whole armor, then go out 
to your varied secular employments, newly and freshly 
baptized, with an increased faith, hope, and love. 
This hurrying over, hap-hazardly, secret and family 
devotion, omitting reading, singing, and expostulation, 
as very many do, is mockery, high-handed, God-dis- 



204 NEGLECT FAMILY WORSHIP? 

honoring ! It is not only robbery, slighting Omnipo- 
tence, but it is starvation to the soul, degrading the 
family altar, making it a mere pack-horse or scape- 
goat ! It's like the children of Israel before the 
golden .calf, " sitting down to eat and drink, and 
rising up to play " — God is not in all their thoughts. 
Besides the family, the children and servants are led 
into a loose, careless, slipshod half-heartedness ! 

Friends, give yourselves time, do up the work faith- 
fully, patiently, profitably. Let your children, your 
friends, your neighbors, see and know you fear God 
and have respect unto all his commandments. 

" Prayer, prayer, oh sweet prayer, 
Be it ever so simple, there's nothing like prayer. 
While strangers to prayer, we're strangers to bliss ; 
Heaven pours its full streams through no medium but this; 
And till we the seraph's fall ecstacy share. 
Our chalice of joy must be guarded by prayer. 

Prayer, prayer, oh sweet prayer, 
Be it ever so simple, there's nothing like prayer." 



NEGLECT FAMILY WOKSHIP? 
Morning or evening ? Never, Better dispense with 
your breakfast, your dinner, your supper. Xever omit 
this solemn, important, heaven-ordained duty. Read 
your Bible, tune your harps in praise, bow the knee. 
John Howard, the philanthropist, is said never to 
have neglected family prayer, even though there was 
but one, and that one his domestic, to join in it; 
always declaring that where he had a tent, God should 
have an altar. 



FAMILY MUSIC. 265 



FAMILY MUSIC. 

" Yesl there is music all around us, 
If we only list awile ; 
And there is beauty everywhere, 
The home of childhood to beguile." 

Music, as well as the reading of our language, 
should be taught in every family, in every school and 
seminary. Its beautiful results are many. 

1st. Singing improves the voice, takes away harsh- 
ness, sweetens its tone, and gives it greater compass. 

2d. Singing improves speaking. 

3d. Singing refines the taste, elevates the affections, 
improves the heart, assists devotion. 

4th. Singing is a delightful, interesting, and profit- 
able part of worship— especially domestic. 

5th. Singing is an element of power. 

Parent, teach your children to sing ; commence 
early. Teach them to sing hymns of praise, of a pure 
and elevated character. 

A more delightful scene cannot be presented this 
side of heaven, than when parents, with their sons 
and daughters surrounding the domestic circle, de- 
voutly unite their voices in sacred song. 

" Domestic happiness, thou only bliss 
Of Paradise that has escaped the fall." 

Children and youth should be taught to love music, 

12 



266 FAMILY MUSIC. 

the songs of heaven, not merely for pastime or amuse- 
ment, but for their elevating, purifying tendency. 

How is congregational singing to be improved? 
By teaching children to sing in school, in the social 
and domestic circle, and around the family altar. 
Every school should be opened with singing and 
prayer. Let all parents at once take the matter into 
their own hands. Of course every Christian family 
must have a family altar, from which the high praises 
of Jehovah should ascend morning and evening. 
Let all learn to sing in the family circle ; it can be 
done, it should be done, it must be done if we do our 
duty. Children may thus learn to sing almost as 
soon as they learn to talk. "Where family singing, 
family praying, in short, family religion is wanting 
among the members of a congregation, that congrega- 
tion, indeed, must be in a most deplorable state. Let 
our family religion be improved — let the fountain be 
purified, then the streams will also become pure. 
Ministers of the gospel can not exert themselves too 
much in this respect. 

It is not indispensably necessary to be acquainted 
with the science of music, to be a profitable congrega- 
tional singer. We must then depend chiefly upon the 
practice of singing our hymns and tunes in the family 
circle. This is the most appropriate place for im- 
proving the singing in our congregations. 

Let children sing. — a All children can learn to 



FAMILY MUSIC. 267 

sing if they commence in season. In Germany every 
child is taught to use its voice while young. In their 
schools all join in singing as a regular exercise, as 
much as they attend to the study of geography, and 
in their churches singing is not confined to a choir, 
who sit apart from the others, perhaps in one corner 
of the house, but there is a vast tide of incense going 
forth to God from every heart that can give utterance 
to his lana-uao-e from the soul. In addition to the 
delightful influence music has upon the character, it 
has also a marked influence in suppressing pulmonary 
complaints. Dr. Rush used to say that the reason 
why the Germans seldom die of consumption was, 
that they were always singing." 

" Music ! — how faint, how weak, 
Language fades before thy spell ! 
Why should feeling ever speak, 
When thou canst breathe her soul so well ? 
Friendship's balmy words may feign 
Love's are e'en more false than they ; 
Oh I 'tis only music's strain 
Can sweetly soothe and not betray 1" 

Some of the towns in New England make an an- 
nual appropriation from the town treasury for a sing- 
ing-school, to be free to all residents of the town. 
Well do they get repaid for it. Instead of a fondness 
for the dance, the intoxicating cup, or the gambler's 
table, the young people of the town learn to love the 
songs of Zion and sing praises to the Most High ! 



268 HINTS TJO PARENTS. 

HINTS TO PARENTS— ITO. I. 



PRAYING WITH CHILDREN. 



Do you, parents, pray with them, not only around 
the family altar, in the social circle, but in private? 
Take them with you to the closet, there impress the 
minds and hearts of your little ones with things spir- 
itual and eternal; inculcate the principles of truth, 
justice, mercy, the importance of immediate submis- 
sion to the Divine will, of living a pure, holy, God- 
fearing life. Kneel in their presence, lift up holy 
hands, pour out fervent supplication, for their imme- 
diate transformation, the Holy Spirit to make them 
new creatures in Christ Jesus, and that God may keep 
them from every evil as the apple of the eye. Teach 
them also to bow the little knee in humble adoration 
to the Most High. Continue these solemn exercises 
from day to day, till Christ is formed in their souls 
the hope of glory. Very many date their conviction 
and conversion, their hope of life eternal, from these 
hallowed interviews. Furthermore, these simple, 
heaven-ordained means of salvation give parents a 
holy influence over their children that nothing else 
will. 

A man advanced in life said he remembered his 
father taking him into a room alone, and kneeling 
down and praying with him. Farther back than that 



HINTS TO P&EENTS. 269 

he could remember nothing. But that prayer, though 
he was a very little child, he well remembered ; and 
he often thought that he owed all his hopes of salva- 
tion to the fact that he remembered nothing beyond 
that prayer. It made a;n indelible impression on his 
mind. "It was forty years ago/' said he, "that I 
heard that prayer, back of which my memory cannot 
run. My father is dead and gone ; but here I stand 
a witness for God that he hears and answers prayer. 
And I beg of you, fathers and mothers, pray with 
your little children, not in the family merely, but 
pray with and for them alone, and the Father, who 
heareth in secret will reward you openly." 

" Call the children early, parent, 

While the birds do sing, 
While the dew is on the flowers 

Which by the hillside spring. 
Oft repeat the waking word, 
Till they rise to praise the Lord." 

Jesus is the Saviour of the little ones ; they can feel 
their need of a pardon, and they can love and trust 
the Redeemer. Innumerable instances are occurring 
where, for the encouragement of parents and Sabbath 
school teachers, childlike faith in Christ is manifested 
in life and in death. A speaker in a recent Sabbath 
School convention, related an incident occurring in 
England — that of a little girl, seven years of age, who 
having been taken sick, was carried to the hospital to 
die. 



270 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

" The last night," said the speaker, " nothing was 
heard to break the silence, but the ticking of the 
great clock in the hall, as the pendulum swung back- 
ward and forward. Then it would strike the hours, 
e-1-e-v-e-n, t-w-e-1-v-e, o-n-e o'clock, when there came 
from the couch of the little sufferer a voice of sweet 
melody. It was one verse of a Sunday school hymn — 

" * Jesus ! the name to sinners dear, 
The name to sinners given ; 
It scatters all our guilty fears, 
And turns our hell to heaven.' 

"Then all w T as silent again, and nothing was heard 
but the ticking of the great clock in the hall, until she 
broke out, after a while, in another verse : 

" * Happy, if with my latest breath 
I may but speak his name, 
Preach him to all, and sing in death 
Behold! behold the Lamb V 

" The nurse then hastened to the bedside of the 
little sufferer, but she was too late. The angels had 
been there before her, and carried that little Sabbath- 
school girl from beholding the Lamb on earth to his 
bosom in the sanctuary above." 

" Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou 
hast perfected praise." 

" 'Tis from the little ones, God, 

Their simple hearts and artless ways- 
Wiser, because more pure than we — 
Thou hast perfected praise." 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 271 

HINTS TO PARENTS. -NO, II. 

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO PRAY. 

" How can little children's hearts 
Bring forth flowers of love, 
Unless Christ, the Lord, impart 
Sunshine from above ? 

We should not only pray with our little ones in 
retirement, from early infancy, but teach them how 
to approach the mercy-seat, in the name of Jesus, 
with reverence and humility. The Rev. J. Ryle, 
speaking on this subject, says : " If you love your 
children, do all that lies in your power to train them 
up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. 
Tell them what to say. Encourage them to perse- 
vere. Remind them if they become careless and slack 
about it. This, remember, is the first step in religion 
which a child is able to take. Long before he can 
read, you can teach him to kneel by his mother's side, 
and repeat the simple words of prayer and praise 
which she puts in his mouth. And as the first steps 
in any undertaking are always the most important, 
so is the manner in which your children's prayers are 
prayed a point which deserves your closest attention. 
Few seem to know how much depends on this. Be- 
ware lest they get in a way of saying them in a hasty, 
careless, and irreverent manner. Never give up the 



272 HLNTTS TO PARENTS. 

oversight of this matter to servants and nurses, or to 
your children when left to themselves. That mother 
deserves no praise who never looks after this most 
important part of her child's daily life herself. 
Mothers, surely if there be any habit which your own 
hand and eye should help in forming, it is the habit 
of prayer. If you never hear your children pray 
yourself, you are much to blame. You are little wiser 
than the bird, described in Job, "which leaveth her 
eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the dust, and 
forgetteth that the foot may crush them^ or that the 
w T ild beast may break thein. She is hardened against 
her young ones, as though they were not hers; her 
labor is in vain without fear." 

Praj 7 er is, of all habits, the one which we recollect 
the longest. Many a gray-headed man could tell you 
how his mother used to make him pray in the days of 
his childhood. Other things have passed away from 
his mind, perhaps. The church where he was taken 
to worship, the minister whom he heard preach, the 
companions who used to play with him — all these, it 
may be, have passed from his memory, and left no 
mark behind. But you w T ill often find it far different 
with his first prayers. He will often be able to tell 
you w T here he knelt, and what he was taught to say, 
and how his mother looked all the while. It w T ill 
come up as fresh before his mind's eye as if it was 
but yesterday. 



TEN WAYS TO COMMIT SUICIDE. 273 

Reader, if you love your children, let not the seed- 
time of a prayerful habit pass away unimproved. If 
you train your children to any thing, train them, at 
least, to a habit of prayer. 

" Prayer is the incense of the soul, 

The odor of the flower, & 

And rises, as the water's roll, 
To God's controlling power." 



>CX3<2o- 



TEJJ WAYS TO COMMIT SUICIDE . 

Wearing thin shoes and stockings and insufficient 
clothing in cold and rainy weather ; leading a lazy, ex- 
cited, theatre-going, dancing life ; sleeping on feathers 
in a seven by nine room ; eating hot, stimulating food 
too fast, and too much of it, and at improper times ; be- 
ginning with tea and coffee in childhood, and adding 
tobacco and spirits in due time; marrying in haste, and 
living in continual ferment thereafter ; following un- 
healthy occupations to make money ; taking bitters 
and confections, and gormandizing between meals ; 
giving way to fits of passion, or keeping in perpetual 
w r orry ; going to bed at midnight and getting up at 
noon, and eating when you catch it. To which may be 
added a recipe for killing children : — paregoric, cor- 
dials, candy, and rich cakej and when they are made 
sick thereby, mercury, tartar-emetic, castor-oil, and 
sulphur. 

12* 



274 HINTS TO PARENTS. 



HINTS TO PARENTS. -NO. III. 

TABLE DUTIES. 

PaARENTS, have you reflected duly on the amount of 
good that may be accomplished while surrounding the 
table, spread with Heaven's bounties — good to your- 
selves, your children, your friends ? How much pro- 
fitable, edifying conversation may be elicited? how 
much Bible instruction imparted ? how many lessons 
of prudence, meekness, love, sobriety, punctuality — 
lessons bearing directly on every-day life, the duties 
we owe to each other as husband and wife, parents 
and children, brothers and sisters — modesty, fidelity, 
and obedience? Instead of idle, unprofitable, or 
common-place chit-chat, is it not infinitely better for 
ourselves and families that our conversation be edify- 
ing, seasoned with salt, ministering grace to the 
hearers ? 

What place more suitable, more appropriate, better 
calculated than the table, laden with the good things 
of Providence, to call forth grateful acknowledgments 
and heart-felt praise, to improve every moment to 
God's glory ? 

Do you think of this when you gather your little 
ones around your tables, morning, noon, and at even- 
tide, to satisfy their craving appetites? Do you make 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 275 

these interviews special seasons of profit and grace ? 
When you take your seats around the social board — 
having returned thanks to God for the food that 
nourishes your bodies, what now? Open your lips in 
wisdom, lift your hearts in silent ejaculations to the 
Giver of all good ? The amount of physical, intellec- 
tual, moral, and religious instruction that may be im- 
parted around the table in one year, is incalculable, 
and will tell savingly, joyfully, in time and eternity. 

Beloved parents, what say you in rearing the ten- 
der thought, in training your family for usefulness and 
happiness ? will you make these social gatherings not 
merely a feast for the body, but a feast of reason, a 
feast of soul ? Will you come prepared, as God shall 
give you opportunity ? select some subject of interest 
and profit, historical, intellectual, or moral, some pas- 
sage from the sacred volume, relate some incident of 
usefulness that will impart to all present a salutary 
influence? 

Will you habituate your children, before participat- 
ing of the choice bounties of heaven, to repeat some 
portion of God's word, on which to meditate and con- 
verse ? 

Finally, what time and place more suitable to in- 
culcate good breeding, courtesy of behavior, polite- 
ness of manners, to impart principles of true benevo- 
lence, gentlemanly deportment, strict temperance in 
all things, the duty of keeping under the body, of 



276 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

bringing it into subjection, of eating and drinking to 
the glory of God ? 

The importance of the conversation around our ta- 
bles and at the family fireside, cannot well be over- 
rated. It is, in fact, the index of the whole intellec- 
tual, moral, religious, and social life of those who take 
part in it. The words of a parent are almost omni- 
potent. To the child the utterances of the father and 
the mother are the responses of an oracle, all- wise, in- 
fallible. Every sentiment expressed by them becomes 
a part of the mental furniture of the child, and lies 
imbedded in the depths of the young spirit. 

The morals of many a youth are undermined at 
home by parents who literally "know not what they 
do," and are struck with wonder as well as sorrow 
when their children go astray. 

" Guard well thy lips for none can know • 
"What evil from the tongue may flow — 
"What guilt, what grief may be incurred 
By one incautious hasty word." 

Let your conversation be such as becometh the gos- 
pel of Christ, — to edification and purity. "I say 
unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, 
they shall give account thereof in the day of judg- 
ment. For by thy words shalt thou be justified, and 
by thy words shalt thou be condemned." 

As you would honor Christ, who has taught* us the 
lesson of divine charity, " Let this mind be in you 



don't dream, but act. 277 

that was in him ;" be moved by the same benevolent 
spirit, and "Let your speech be always with grace." 
"If any man offend not in word, the same is a per- 
fect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." 

" Scatter ye seeds in the garden of heart — 
Seeds of affection of truth, and of love ; 
Cultivate carefully each hidden part, 
And the flowers will be seen by angels above." 



DOFT DKEAM, BUT ACT. 

Rise from your dreams of the future 

Of gaining some hard-fought field, 
Of storming some airy fortress, 

Or bidding some giant yield. 
Tour future has deeds of glory, 

Of honor (God grant it may), 
But your aim will never be stronger, 

Or the need so great as to-day. 

Rise, for the day is passing ! 

The low sound that you scarcely hear 
Is the enemy marching to battle, 

Arise ! for the foe is near ! 
Stay not to sharpen your weapons, 

Or the hour will strike at last, 
"When, from dreams of a coming battle, 

You may wake to find it past. 



278 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

HItfTS TO PARENTS. — HO. IV. 

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT. 

" There's nothing lost. The tiniest flower 

That grows within the darkest vale, 
Though lost to view, has still the power 

The rarest perfume to exhale : 
That perfume borne on zephyr's wings, 

May visit some lone sick one's bed ; 
And, like the balm affection brings, 

'Twill scatter gladness round her head." 

Very little disposition is manifested in retrench- 
ment in articles of dress, habits of diet, in church 
building. Millions are lavished on gaudy popish 
temples, houses of worship, on furniture and equipage, 
in gay and fashionable costume, jewelry, gold, pearls, 
artificials, and costly array. See Isa. iii., 1 Tim. xxix., 
1 Peter xxxiii. 

Millions are squandered in the use of strong drink 
and tobacco, tea and coffee, to the destruction of soul 
and body. 

Millions on millions are expended on novels, ro- 
mances, the light, frothy, pernicious literature of the 
day, " that bites like a serpent and stings like an 
adder." 

The wastefulness, extravagance, and excesses of the 
American people have not had a parallel in the his- 
tory of the world, and all this has been against health, 
happiness, and morals. When, as a nation, we tread 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 279 

in the footsteps of the old nations, we shall have to 
follow them also as families and individuals. God is 
teaching this nation a lesson — by terrible things in 
righteousness. Praise him for it. If mercies suffice 
not, let judgments come. Extravagance has been the 
order of the day. " Jeslmrun waxed fat and kicked." 
God is now speaking to us in thunder tones : " Re- 
pent, for the day of the Lord of hosts is upon every 
one that is proud and lifted up ; and he shall be 
brought low." " Behold, the day cometh that shall 
burn as an oven ; and all the proud — yea, and all they 
that do wickedly shall be as stubble." 

SAVE IT ? YES, SAVE IT ! 

Save everything valuable for your own and other's 
use ; little things and great things. " Gather up the 
fragments, that nothing be lost." We save, study 
economy from duty, for conscience' sake, for doing 
good. Economy is not parsimony or covetousness, 
but a Christian virtue. Christ set the example, he 
could feed thousands on a few loaves, miraculously ; 
and yet how careful to gather the crumbs. 

Nothing should be wasted that may be of use to 
the poor and the perishing. The habits of economy 
and frugality should be early inculcated in the train- 
ing of children. 

It is painful to witness the waste in some families. 
Wood is lavishly thrown upon the fire, chairs and 



280 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

tables are broken, and from the garret to the cellar 
the house looks as if some stray bolt of lightning had 
been wandering about. 

Children are allowed from infancy to be wasteful ; 
they grow up in habits of wastefulness, live and die 
wasteful. 

Little folks, are you hearing what we say to the 
big folks? bowing the listening ear? What we say 
to them we say to you, to every body. 

Are you economical, saving all you can, giving all 
you can ? You have no right whatever to bestow a 
single farthing of the Lord's money on trifling toys, 
candies, sweetmeats, on any thing to gratify pride, 
vanity, the lust of the eye, passioh, or appetite. 
Young friends, hear the words of the blessed Saviour 
after feeding thousands miraculously — " Gather up 
the fragments that nothing be lost." 



ooo 



Lite for something. Do good, and leave behind 
you a monument of virtue that the storm of time 
can never destroy. "Write your name in kindness, 
love, and mercy on the hearts of thousands who come 
in contact with you year by year ; — you will never be 
forgotten. No, your name, your deeds, will be as 
legible on the hearts you leave behind, as the stars on 
the brow of evening. Good deeds will shine as the 
stars of heaven. 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 281 

HINTS TO PARENTS. -NO. V. 

children's use of money. 

" When life is full of health and glee, 
"Work, work, as busy as a bee ! 
And take this gentle hint from me — 
Be careful of your money ! 
You'll find it true, that friends are few, 
When you are short of money 1" i 

Parents, teach your children to use money aright, 
not to abuse it, not to squander it on pride, lust, the 
gratification of the sensual appetite. Teach them as 
early as possible that they are stewards of God, that 
what they have is not their own, but merely lent them 
to use to the glory of Him who has bought them with 
a price of infinite value. Inculcate early this princi- 
ple of stewardship or accountability. Impress deeply 
and perpetually the idea that God holds them res- 
ponsible for every farthing in their possession, that 
they can not innocently lavish a single farthing to 
foster pride, intemperance, habits of luxury or ex- 
travagance, in the purchase of candies, sweetmeats, 
trifling toys, articles of mere fancy, " gold, pearls, or 
costly array " wdiich render no profitable use, but 
rather dissipate, engender disease, injure body, mind, 
and soul. Teach them very early to lay up treasure 
in heaven, the blessedness of giving, that it is more 
blessed to give than to receive, and that God loves 
the cheerful giver. Teach your little ones the princi- 
ples of benevolence ; to be economical without parsi- 



282 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

mony, to be liberal to the poor, the destitute, and the 
oppressed, open-hearted, generous. 

" Freely ye have received, freely give," saith the 
Lord. " Sell that ye have and give alms ; provide 
yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the 
heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, 
neither moth corrupteth : for where your treasure is, 
there will be your heart also." Luke xii. 33. 

" Naught created should be lost — 

' Gather up, gather up !' 
Least is oft in God's eye most — 

1 Gather up !' 
Every atom He has made, 
Under contribution laid, 
Lends to man some special aid — 

1 Gather up P " 

Lead the little folks often to such passages as these 
in God's Book : " Give, and it shall be given you ; 
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, run- 
ning over." " He who soweth sparingly shall also 
reap sparingly ; and he that soweth bountifully shall 
reap also bountifully." " Cast thy bread upon the 
waters : for thou shalt find it after many days." 
" The liberal soul shall be made fat : and he that wa- 
• tereth shall be watered also himself." 

Parent, beloved, the Lord holds you responsible for 
this benevolent training, for the way and manner 
your offspring dispose of their little capital. It is 
your blessed province to train them to habits of in- 
dustry, economy, liberality, temperance in all things ; 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 283 

to enforce the immediate duty of entire consecration, 
of " presenting their bodies a living sacrifice, holy and 
acceptable to God, and not to be conformed to this 
world, but to be transformed by the renewing of their 
minds, to prove what is that good and acceptable and 
perfect will of God. 

" 'Tis not a cause of small import. 
The parent's care demands, 
But what might fill an angel's heart, 
And filled the Saviour's hands." 

Some children are spendthrifts, expend their little 
capital on things of time and sense, for the gratifica- 
tion of a perverted taste or sensual appetite, instead 
of bestowing it on objects of benevolence, charity, and 
mercy. Others again are close-fisted, covetous, mi- 
serly, hoard up every penny parsimoniously, hold on 
to their gains with an iron grasp ! Parent, beware 
how you inculcate the love of money, " the root of 
all evil." It will eat as doth the canker, prove a bit- 
ter curse for time and eternity ! 

While you teach your little ones economy, — how to 
dispose of their time and money judiciously and with- 
out waste, — be sure to let charity be uppermost, the 
principle of stewardship. Teach them, first of all, 
that " it is more blessed to give than to receive." 

" Do not shut sweet mercy's doors 
When sorrow pleads or want implores ; 
To help to heal misfortune's sores, 

Be careful of your money ! 
To help the poor who seek your door, 

Be careful of your money 1" 



284 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

HIKTS TO PARENTS. -NO. YI. 

PROVIDING FOR THEIR CHILDREN. 

" How many a man from love of pelf, 
To stuff his coffers, starves himself; 
Labors, accumulates, ^pd spares, 
To lay up ruin for his heirs ; 
G-rudges the poor their scanty dole, 
Saves everything, except his soul ; 
And always anxious, always vexed, 
Loses both this world and the next." 

Of all possible follies perhaps the greatest is that 
of parents who make slaves of themselves to lay up 
money for their children when they shall have attained 
maturity and the parents have passed away. 

No more melancholy stories could be told than the 
lives of the children of wealthy parents, and especially 
where the parents have become suddenly rich, and 
have their heads filled with the foolish notion that 
they do not want their children to go through w T ith 
what they have, when, if they could see the truth, it 
would be as plain as the sun in the clear heavens that 
but for the very experience of which they complain, 
they would be the most miserable and ignorant of 
men. The first thing that can be done for any child 
is to make home attractive and happy ; give him a 
home in infancy that will be a nursery of virtue and 
piety ; give him a home in youth — not a place to stop 
at nights and eat his food, and find his clothes in, 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 285 

while the majority of his time is in the streets with 
low, loose, and idle company, but a place that he 
loves with his whole heart ; where he studies and 
learns, enjoys a little heaven, receives counsels, and 
lives a true life : a place that he will ever hold sacred 
in his memory, and keep in his inmost heart to gaze 
upon, as he would a picture of the person most loved 
on earth. This is the first duty of the parent to the 
child. Here is particularly the sphere of the mother ; 
and mark it where we will f we shall generally find 
that the men who are anything had true mothers — 
mothers who to their death were loved and respected 
because they made childhood happy and useful. 
Happy the father that can say, " I have no fear for 
my boy ; he can wrestle with fortune and take care 
of himself" Happy the mother that can say, " If 
Bridget dies or leaves in a huff, my daughter can 
cook her own dinner, wash and mend her husband's 
clothes, and dress her own children. If her husband 
dies, she will not feel that she is bound to perish, but 
nerve herself to new responsibilities." Happy any 
parents who can say, " I have brought my children 
up to simplicity of habits, in the fear of God, and a 
true sense of what the world is. They have not their 
income of thousands, but they are richer in them- 
selves; the} 7 have education, taste, culture, virtuous 
habits, that they can enjoy the world without abus- 
ing it ; and underneath the whole they have courage- 



286 HINTS TO PARENTS. 

ous and manly hearts that are not dependent on the 
accidents of to-day." 

How, then, can we expend money to the greatest 
benefit to children ? Spend it on them now, without 
waiting for the future. Cherish strength, industry, 
health, taste, learning, virtue, purity of heart, this very 
hour — love to God — love of man — humility, patience, 
meekness, " holiness to the Lord." 

" Train up a child in the way he should go, and 
when he is old he will not depart from it." 

A parent who leaves nothing but wealth, or simi- 
lar social advantages to his children, is apt to be 
speedily forgotten. Parents are not particularly held 
in honour by children because of the worldly advan- 
tages they leave them. There is comparatively little 
gratitude for this. The heir of an empire hardly 
thanks him who bequeathed it. He more often en- 
deavors, before his time, to thrust him from his 
throne. But let a child be able to say, " My father 
w T as a just man, he was affectionate in his home, he 
was tender-hearted, he was useful to the community, 
and loved to do good in society, he was a helper of 
the young, the poor, the unfortunate ; he was a man 
of principle, liberal, upright, devout," — and the child's 
memory cleaves to that parent. He honors him, re- 
veres him, treasures his name and his memory, thinks 
himself blest in having had such a parent, and the 
older he grows, instead of forgetting, only reveres 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 287 

and honors and remembers him the more. Here is 
experience and affection sitting in judgment on hu- 
man attainments. It shows what is most worth the 
seeking. 

HOARDING FOR CHILDREN. 

What a temptation, what a snare of Satan ! How 
many parents toil on, and toil on, make slaves of 
themselves, skeletonize benevolence, live parsimoni- 
ously or close-fistedly all their days, " bereave their 
souls of good," for what ? To hoard up. For whom ? 
" Who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a 
fool?" 

" There is a grievous evil which I have seen under 
the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners of them, 
to their hurt."— Ecc. v. 13. 

In nine cases out of ten, wealth hoarded for chil- 
dren by this slavish, niggardly course, proves a curse 
instead of a blessing. It is often consumed on pride, 
lust, and extravagance, to the destruction of both 
body and soul ! 



«<-co 



Children, if you have an enemy, act kindly to 
him, and make him your friend. You may not win 
him at once, but try him again. Let one kindness be 
followed by another till you have compassed your 
ends. 



2S8 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 




HIXTS TO PAEESTS— NO. VII. 



BAD FOLK-. 
CHILDREN AT HOME. CHILDREN' ABROAD. 

Teach your children to behave well at home, po- 
litely, modestly, obediently — to know when to speak 
and how to speak — ere you take them abroad. 

Never, dear parents, impose upon your neighbors or 



HINTS TO PARENTS. 289 

friends with your unruly, self-willed, disobedient chil- 
dren, as you value your reputation, the peace, safety, 
good wishes and happiness of those around you, and 
the best interests of the community. What imposi- 
tion greater could you possibly inflict on your friends ? 
It's a bare-faced, outstanding violation of the golden 
rule principle ! It's trampling, ungenerously, on good 
feeling, friendship, hospitality, and kindred affection. 

We have known some parents make a long visit to 
the house of some friend or relative, with rude, ill- 
mannered, impudent, boisterous, outlandish urchins, 
disturbing the peace, quietness, and happiness of every 
one in their reach, ransacking every nook and corner 
of the house, turning and overturning ! A bear 
robbed of her whelps could scarcely be more dreadful 
or annoying. Children are imitative beings, and good 
children are frequently spoiled or greatly injured by 
the society of wicked associations. " Evil communi- 
cations corrupt good manners." " One sinner," 
though a little sinner, " destroyeth much good." 

Parents that have any just or due appreciation of 
the importance of training their offspring for God, in 
the way they should go, would rather see a serpent, a 
stinging adder, yes, the plague itself, enter their dwell- 
ing than these reckless, idolized, disobedient intruders. 
(See engraving.) 

Parent, we beseech you, as you value friendship, 

kindness, hospitality, brotherly love, peace, harmony, 

id 



290 BEAR AND FORBEAR. 

good will, eternal life, not to impose on good sense 
and good nature. How glad soever your friends may 
be to see you and entertain you hospitably, yet their 
rejoicing will be tenfold when you depart. Be wise 
to-day. Be wise for yourself, your children, your 
friends, for time, for eternity. 

Train up your little ones early for God, in the way 
they should go, in strict obedience, in the path of 
duty, sobriety, in all that is lovely and praiseworthy. 
Make them polished stones, living examples of loveli- 
ness, purity, and consistency, olive plants around 
your table. Then their appearance every where will 
be hailed gladly, thankfully, joyfully. Otherwise, 
keep them at home till they learn good manners. 

" O it is a sad'ning sight, 
When children go astray, 
Forsaking what is good and right, 
To walk in Satan's way." 



■*coo- 



BEAR AID FORBEAR. 

If we would have life move on smoothly, we must 
learn to bear and forbear. We must indulge the 
friend we love in the little peculiarities of saying and 
doing things which may be important to him, but of 
little moment to us. Like children, we must suffer 
each one to build his play house in his own way, and 
not quarrel with him because he does not think our 
way the best. 



GOOD CHILDREN A BLESSING. 291 



GOOD CHILDREN A BLESSING. 

A great blessing. Let parents train their little 
ones from early infancy in the way they should go — 
in the path of virtue, rectitude, truth, and love — they 
are a blessing, not a curse — olive plants around the 
table — " apples of gold in pictures of silver" — loving, 
cheerful, obedient, smiling, happy, joyful. Sight 
lovely ! Happy, too, thrice happy, he who is thus 
blessed with such a family. " Lo, children are a 
heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is 
his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty 
man — so are children of the youth. Happy is the 
man that hath his quiver full of them." Psa. cxxvii. 5. 

Wh£,t would the world be really worth, if it were 
robbed of the sweet, cheerful, innocent, merry prattle 
of little children ? What home would be worth the 
name of " sweet home," if those little vines were 
taken from it which morning and evening put out 
their little arms to climb and kiss the parent stem ? 

Who does not love kind-hearted, obedient little 
children — innocent as doves, harmless as lambs, 
cheerful as larks, sprightly as kittens ; children that 
have been carefully disciplined, watched over, prayed 
over, till every passion, appetite, and all self-will are 
brought into sweet, lamb-like subjection ! O what a 
blessing ! What a little Eden below ! Happy the 



292 RELIGION AT HOME. 

parent thus surrounded ! Their bright faces are like 
the stars to him, ever twinkling the same wherever he 
goes ; their gay voices are like cheerful, murmuring 
rivulets, or like the happy songs of birds, always 
sounding the same to his ears. Let him be sad — let 
the clouds of sorrow gather their darkness around his 
heart — let the snow T s of adversity chill his better na- 
ture — and yet, let him but feel the influence of these 
good children ; and his soul, like a broken instrument 
new repaired and newly strung, vibrates with softer 
and more melodious tones. 

" And is it true what we are told, 
That there are lambs within the fold 

Of God's beloved Son— 
That Jesus Christ, with tender care, 
Will in his arms most gently bear 

The helpless ■ little one ?' " 



^oo>- 



RELIGION AT HOME. 

Religion begins in the family. One of the holiest 
sanctuaries on earth is home. The family altar is 
more venerable than any altar in a church built with 
hands. The education of the soul for eternity begins 
by the fireside. The principle of love, which is to be 
carried through the universe, is first unfolded in the 
family. " Let them learn first," says the apostle, " to 
show piety at home." 



A WORD TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS. 



293 




A WORD TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS ON READING. 



" How great their charge who feed the mind, 
And, with a high and Heaven-taught spirit, strive 
To neutralize the poison that corrodes ' 
Its health, and with an appetite for truth 
Replace the gilded trifles that impair 
Its nerve and firmness." 

Parents, what do your little ones read ? Do you 
choose their books and periodicals, or do you suffer 



294 A WORD TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS 

them to choose ? Are you careful to examine every 
book, every paper, every tract or magazine previously 
to placing it in the hands of your children ; — exam- 
ine it with special reference to its tendency for good 
or for evil ? As you value the present and future 
welfare of your offspring, dare you do otherwise? 
Would you admit a stranger to your house, your 
parlor, your bedrooms, allow him to mingle freely 
with your sons and your daughters, without knowing 
his character, whether he was a good man or a bad 
man, virtuous or licentious ? Would not the admis- 
sion into your family of a loose or vile publication be 
as unwise, unsafe, and improper as a vicious com- 
panion ? There are parents who would no sooner 
permit their children to read a book or paper, without 
their consent and previous examination, than they 
would allow a deadly serpent to take lodgment in their 
book-case, or on their centre-tables. 

Untold evils to body, mind, and soul have resulted 
from giving undue license to children in the choice 
of their reading matter. 

Who are the writers of these love-stories, fictitious 
tales, novels, romances, fatal tragedies, horrid scenes 
of rape, blood, and murder that grace the pages of 
these popular weeklies and monthlies ? With few 
exceptions, are they not 'known to be persons lax in 
principle, and loose in life ? 

" As is the tree, so is the fruit." " Do men gather 



ON READING. 295 

grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ?" " Out of the 
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." " Can 
a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be 
burned ?" 

Books and papers have souls : they think, speak, 
and act for evil or for good. A bad book or paper is 
as dangerous as a bad man or a bad woman, a bad 
boy or a bad girl. Reading a bad book is keeping 
bad company, and reading a good book is keeping 
good company. 

Every book, every paper, has a soul breathing a 
spirit good or bad. It is the soul of its author, and 
when spread over the pages of the book, that soul 
acts upon its reader as truly as when acting directly. 

The " Herald and Journal," alluding to these sugar- 
coated poisons, remarks thus : 

" Parents who take much pains to select suitable 
associates for their children, frequently allow them to 
read the works of Yoltaire, Tom Paine, and other in- 
fidel writers, as well as the unnatural productions of 
morbid imaginations that are continually flowing from 
the press in the shape of pamphlets with yellow covers 
adorned with pictorial illustrations to render them 
more attractive. When a taste for such vile trash is 
thoroughly formed, the company of those possessing 
similar tastes is sought, and the foundation is laid for 
a miserable, useless existence. The question may be 
asked, Who is responsible for this state of things? 



296 A WOKD TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS 

Every one who does not, by precept and example, op- 
pose such practice. 

" There is a class in every community who boast 
of their liberal, anti-sectarian principles, and advocate 
the doctrine that the productions of the atheist, as 
well as others, should be perused, and the arguments 
of those who deny the truth of Divine Revelation 
should be listened to, that the mind may decide im- 
partially what is right. Nothing can be more per- 
nicious. As well might the physician recommend the 
eating of poisonous as well as wholesome food, that a 
judgment might be formed as to what is pernicious. 
Life is short, and it is wrong to waste its golden mo- 
ments in listening to useless discussions, or in ac- 
quainting ourselves with that which has no useful 
tendency. A man may be known by the books he 
reads, as well as by the company he keeps. Food for 
reflection should be selected with as much care as we 
should exercise in the choice of that diet which will 
be most conducive to health and physical strength. 
In our highly-favored State, where* district and Sab- 
bath School libraries may be found in every village, 
the young have ample means for the formation of a 
right taste, and of acquiring a large fund of useful 
information, which our ancestors in their youthful 
days could not obtain. 

" Several years ago, we were persuaded, in an evil 
hour, to examine the writings of Emanuel Sweden- 



ON READING. 297 

borg, George Bush, and several other apostles of the 
' New Church,' and we fear that we shall never, while 
we live, be able to rid ourself entirely of their inju- 
rious effects. A more subtle mixture of truth and 
error was never concocted. We consider it far more 
dangerous than open infidelity. God be praised for 
leading us to see the falsity of their plausible but 
soul-destroying tenets, and to renounce them before it 
was too late to obtain mercy and forgiveness through 
the vicarious atonement of the Saviour which they 
deny. 

" In the Sabbath-school library, and in the books 
purchased for children, we furnish them with the 
means of cultivating a taste for novel-reading, and so 
prepare them greedily to devour whatever fictitious 
trash may fall in their way, and then waste our breath 
in deploring their exposure to a corrupting literature. 
Parents and teachers seem not to know, that the thirst 
for novel-reading is cultivated by novel-reading ; or 
they seem not to know that reading fiction with a 
little sprinkling of religion, prepares children to love 
to read fiction, though it may have a sprinkling of 
irreligion. 

" There is that in the character of fictitious writ- 
ings, properly called novels, whether the subject be 
secular or religious, which forms a taste different from 
historical, didactic, or any of the other classes of 
writing, and this taste is as readily formed by holding 

13* 



298 A WORD TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS. 

the child upon religious novels in his younger years, 
as if he were supplied with secular novels. 

" By our religious machinery the child is piously 
trained to seek his gratifications of mind amid ele- 
ments of grossest corruption. If the enemy of all 
good should set himself to devise a scheme to take 
children out of religious families, and from them to 
rear a supply of victims of this form of ruin, he could, 
with all his cunning, hardly contrive a better way to 
avoid giving alarm and to secure the result. If it be 
agreed that religious novels are a source of mischief, 
we shall find ample work in clearing out the old 
leaven. Our Sabbath-school libraries, and our fami- 
lies, and our book stores, are full of these introduc- 
tions to the { Mysteries qf Paris,' and even our editors 
will be called to use their puffing apparatus with a 
little more caution." 

Parent, when you place novels or fictitious writings, 
in the form of a book or a paper, in the hands of your 
child, for the purpose of cultivating a taste for read- 
ing, you do your child an irreparable injury — peril 
the soul forever. 

Cl The course of evil 
Begins so slowly, and from such slight source, 
An infant's hand might stop the breach with clay ; 
But let the stream get deeper, and philosophy, 
Aye, and religion too, shall strive in vain 
To turn the headlong current I" 



FOOD FOR CHILDREN. 299 



FOOD FOR CHILDREN. 

" Fathers, mothers, when your sons 
Look to you for daily bread, 
Dare ye, in mockery, load with stones 

The table that for them is spread ? 
How can ye hope your sons will live, 
If ye, for fish, a serpent give ?" 

Few things are more vitally important to children, 
as it respects their life, their health, their present and 
eternal well-being, than well-regulated dietetic habits, 
the quantity and quality of food requisite, the fre- 
quency of indulgence. 

O that parents knew this and would give heed. 
Our world, in a measure, would cease to groan, being 
burdened. The parent, by all means, should keep a 
prayerful, watchful, constant supervision over this 
department of domestic training, and on no occasion 
yield the reins of government, or ask his child whether 
or not he will be helped to this article of food or that. 
In this particular, as in every other, the parent must 
be the judge. The appetites of children are not a 
safe guide. This we have reiterated, and shall con- 
tinue to reiterate — give line on line, precept on pre- 
cept, louder and still louder, till the dead awake, 
arise ! And we rejoice that in this needed reform we 
have the concurrent testimony of the most eminent 
physicians. 



00 FOOD FOR CHILDREN. 



The following valuable thoughts are from "The 
Home," on the 

" Proper Hours for taking Food. — There is prob- 
ably as much harm done by allowing children to eat 
at all kinds of improper hours, as giving them im- 
proper food. Children should, from their birth, be ac- 
customed to take food at regular intervals, and though 
these periods occur more frequently in infancy every 
child should, as early as possible, accustom himself to 
take all the food that nature requires, at the regular 
periods in which his meals are prepared. Where chil- 
dren are allowed to eat at all hours of the day, when- 
ever it may occur to them to do so, they will mix the 
taking of food in with their amusements, and eat to 
surfeiting because they are tired of their toys and do 
not know what else to do. And parents permitting 
this are just as sure to have sickly children as they are 
to allow the unwise indulgence." 

How many doctor's bills might be saved, wakeful 
nights, wearisome days, scorching fevers, dyspepsias, 
dysenteries, croups, colics, scrofulas, the numerous 
ailments to which flesh is air, and premature deaths, 
were children rightly trained in this direction. It is 
painful to think of the amount of suffering caused by 
this early repletion. * 

Says an eminent writer : 

* A French writer is represented as calling dyspepsia " the remorse 
of a guilty stomach." 



FOOD FOB CHILDREN. 301 

" I firmly believe that almost every malady of the 
human frame is, either by highways or byways, con- 
nected with the stomach ; and I must own I never 
see a fashionable physician mysteriously consulting 
the pulse of his patient, but I feel a desire to exclaim, 
Why not tell the poor invalid at once, Sir, you have 
eaten too much ; you have drunk too much ; and you 
have not taken exercise enough ! The human frame 
was not created imperfect. It is we ourselves who 
have made it so. There exists no donkey in creation 
so overloaded as our stomachs." 

" The Reason why Children Die, is because they 
are not taken care of. From the day of birth they 
are stuffed with food, choked with physic, slushed, 
with water, suffocated in hot rooms, steamed in bed- 
clothes. So much for in-door. When permitted to 
breathe a breath of pure air once a week in summer, 
and once or twice during the colder months, only the 
nose is permitted to peer into daylight. A little later 
they are sent out with no clothing at all on the parts 
of the body which most need protection. Bare legs, 
bare arms, bare necks, girted middles, with an in- 
verted umbrella to collect the air, and chill the other 
parts of the body. A stout, strong man goes out in a 
cold day with gloves and overcoat, woollen stockings, 
and thick, double-soled boots, with cork between and 
rubbers over. The same day, a child of three years' 
old — an infant's flesh and blood, and bone and consti- 



302 FOOD FOR CHILDREN. 

tution — goes out with slioes as thin as paper, cotton 
socks, legs uncovered to the knees, neck bare; and 
exposure which would disable the nurse, kill the 
mother outright, and make the father an invalid for 
weeks. To rear children thus for the slaughter-pen, 
and lay it to the Lord, is too bad. We don't think 
the Almighty had any hand in it. And to draw com- 
fort from the presumption that He has any agency in 
the death of the child, is a presumption and profana- 
tion." 

I must not throw upon the floor 

The crust I cannot eat ; 
There's many a hungry little one 

Would think it quite a treat. 

My parents take the kindest care 

To get me wholesome food : 
So I must not waste a bit 

That may do others good. 

The corn from which my bread is made, 

God causes it to grow ; 
How sad to waste what he has given ! 

He would both see and know. 

" 'Tis willful waste brings woful want," 

And I may live to say, 
" O how I wish I had the bread, 

Which once I threw away." 



TOTS FOE CHILDREN. 



303 




TOYS FOR CHILDREN. 

" Tliere is a path that leads to God, 
All others go astray. 11 

Vice and infidelity assail even childhood and in 
fancy, and by means so insidious and infamous, so 
seemingly innocent, that the child is not only capti- 
vated, but even the watchful and pious parent is likely 
to be deceived and beguiled, until the secret poison, 
thus artfully disguised, has been injected into tho 
unsuspecting victim. 



304 TOYS FOE CHILDREN. 

Such are the toy cards, toy dominos, and other 
games, artfully prepared with flowers and cuts, to 
catch the fancy of children, for the purpose of induct- 
ing them into the habit and love of the gambler's art, 
and imbuing them with the gambler's fiendish heart 
and hellish guilt. 

We warn all parents against subjecting their chil- 
dren to the influence of these demoralizing and cor- 
rupting toys. They differ nothing from other gam- 
bling apparatus, but in their adaptation to the capa- 
cities of children; and on that account are the more 
dangerous, and therefore the more to be dreaded. 
They prompt the same feelings, fire the same unhal- 
lowed passions, are susceptible of the same uses, and 
work out the same results as any other, even the most 
fraudulent and corrupting gambling apparatus. 

Take another view of this prevailing evil, consid- 
ered by many as laudable or harmless- — the toys and 
playthings of every description, with which all our 
fancy stores are filled during Christmas holidays. 

The amount expended on these articles, of little or 
no value, is immense. Is this in accordance with 
Bible stewardship? Were children trained in the 
way they should go, nurtured from early infancy in 
the fear of the Lord, on gospel principles, would they 
delight, as they now do, in these trifling toys? 

" With such poor trifles playing, 
Moments make the year and trifles life." 



TOYS FOR CHILDREN. 305 

How was it with Sam.uel and little Timothy, who 
were dedicated to the Lord ere they saw the light of 
opening day, and were made wise unto salvation even 
from their childhood ? With John the Baptist also, 
who was filled with the Holy Spirit from his birth ? 
How many of their precious, golden moments were 
spent on things of no value or importance? Are not 
very many of these fancy articles, on which millions 
are lavished, worse than useless, of a pernicious ten- 
dency? Such is the opinion of not a few who are 
wise in things pertaining to the heavenly kingdom. 

An intelligent writer, alluding to this unwise and 
extravagant expenditure, says : 

" Play things that the children make for themselves, 
are a great deal better than those which are bought 
for them. They employ them a much longer time, 
they exercise ingenuity, and they please them more. 
A little girl had better fashion her cups and saucers 
of acorns, than to have a set of earthen ones sup- 
plied. A boy takes ten times more pleasure in a lit- 
tle wooden cart he has pegged together, than he would 
in a painted and gilded carriage brought from the 
toy-shop ; and we do not believe any expensive rock- 
ing-horse ever gave so much satisfaction as we have 
seen a child in the country take with a cocoanut-husk, 
which he had bridled and placed on four sticks. 
There is a peculiar satisfaction in inventing things for 
one's self. No matter though the construction be 



306 THE BATTLE OF LIFE. 

clumsy and awkward, it employs time (which is a 
great object in childhood), and the pleasure the inven- 
tion gives is the first impulse to ingenuity and skill. 
Parents, beloved, train your little ones as Samuel was 
trained, John the Baptist, and little Timothy, in the 
love, fear, and wisdom of God, and they will have no 
relish or delight in things of no profit, light as air. 

" The craving, burning wish that will not rest, 
The vulture passion of the human breast ; 
The thirst for that, which, granted or denied, * 
Still leaves — still leaves the soul unsatisfied, 
Just as the wave of Tantalus flows by, 
Cheating the lip and mocking the fond eye." 



THE BATTLE OF LIFE. 

The Winter Night of the world is past ; 
The day of humanity dawns at last ; 
The veil is rent from the Soul's calm eyes, 
And prophets, and heroes, and seers arise ; 

Their words and deeds like the thunder go ; 

Can ye stifle their voices? They answer, "No !" 

It is God who speaks in their words of might ! 
It is God who acts in their deeds of right ! 
Lo ! Eden waits, like a radiant bride ; 
Humanity springeth elate to her side ; 

Can ye sever the twain who to Oneness flow ? 

The voice of Divinity answers, " No !" 



EYES AND EARS EARS AND EYES. 307 

EYES AND EARS-EARS AID EYES- 

HAVE LITTLE FOLKS EYES AND EARS? 

" 'Tis said that ever round our path 
The unseen angels stray, 
That give us blissful dreams by night, 
And guard our steps by day." 

" Every one who has been much among children 
ought to have learned one thing about them, that 
they are keenly observant. Few things escape their 
notice. They are something like that mystic being 
spoken of by the Hebrew seer, and described by him 
as being 'full of eyes.' They watch us when we 
little suspect it. People fancy it an easy thing to de- 
ceive the young. Alas ! they make a fearful blunder. 
It is easier to hoodwink adults than juveniles. One 
sometimes hears folks talk in an exceeding c know- 
ing ' and confident style about ' getting on the blind 
side of children.' But the fact is that it is not, after 
all, a very easy thing to find the said ' blind side,' 
and often when we are deluding ourselves with the 
notion that we have found it, lo ! there are a pair of 
large watchful eyes fixed on us all the while. Rest 
assured it is a dangerous thing to presume too much 
on the ignorance of the young." Their eyes are open, 
keenly, penetratingly. Besides being eagle-eyed, 
they are easily influenced by example. How exceed- 
ingly important, then, for parents and teachers to 



308 EYES AND EARS EARS AND EYES. 

walk circumspectly before them, saying and doing 
nothing unadvisedly, to keep their mouths as with a 
bridle in their presence. 

Nothing escapes the notice of a child ; not even a 
change in the countenance, or in the intonations of 
the voice. They very early learn to know, by the 
looks of the parent or by the tone used, when it is 
necessary to obey, and when they may with impunity 
continue their disobedience. It is a great mistake, in 
the government of many, that they raise the voice 
when insisting upon obedience to a command — the 
child will wait until the elevated tone assures him 
that it will be perilous to refuse. 

It is on this account that the parent is often obliged 
to repeat the command several times before the child 
obeys ; the child is waiting to learn from the counte- 
nance or tone, whether the word must be obeyed, or 
whether it may be evaded. 

Let the request be clearly stated, but in the usual 
tone of voice, and without repetition. This course, if 
habitually followed, will secure the immediate obe- 
dience of the child ; save the parents unnecessary and 
aggravating repetitions ; teach the child, to be calm 
and soft in his manners, rather than boisterous and 
passionate — and convince the child the command is 
reasonable, and not the result of caprice or anger. 
And when the command has gone forth, he sure that 
obedience is the immediate watchword, punctiliously, 



CHEERFULNESS. 309 

unhesitatingly ! One deviation here is sure to work 
mischief and ruin ! 

" 'Tis a little thing, 

Dropped in the heart's deep well ; 
The good, the joy that it may bring, 
Eternity shall tell." 



CHEERFULNESS. 

A happy heart will ever be 

A crown of richest blessing ; 
Life is deprived of half its ills, 

A happy heart possessing ; 
Then who, oh ! who will troubles bear, 
Nor choose a happy heart to wear ? 

A cheerful smile will drive away 
Each want so bleak and dreary ; 

'Twill soothe the pangs of sickness, too, 
And cheer the sad and weary ; 

Then who will proudly scorn, oh ! who, 

The good a cheerful smile can do ? 

A cheerful word will ever be 
A well of pleasure springing ; 

Like a joyous spring, all bright and gay, 
Sweet buds and flow'rets bringing ; 

Sweet flowers of Hope, then let, who may, 

A cheering word in kindness say ! 



310 HINTS TO MOTHERS. 

HINTS TO MOTHERS. -NO. I. 

TALKING TO THE LITTLE FOLKS. 

" Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." 

" Art thou a mother ? Then to thee are given, 
Gems weighing more than all the stars of even. 
Guard tfyou the treasure with a sleepless eye, 
The Master watches from his throne on high. 
Fear thou no suffering, count no toil a cross ; 

To lose thy jewels is eternal loss." 

• 

Mothers, do you talk to your children about their 
souls ? take the Bible, and bring home to every one 
the duty of immediate repentance and a holy life ? 
portray vividly the indispensable duty of turning to 
God now, with full purpose of heart? Do you make 
it a definite special business, to know the spiritual 
state and standing of those whom God says to you 
" train up in the way they should go, in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord ?" Beloved, how can 
you rest peacefully a single moment, lying down, ris- 
ing up, going out, or coming in, while your little ones 
are out of the ark of safety, on the road to ruin eter- 
nal? What! remain indifferent, unconcerned, while 
those under your roof, sitting at the same table, are 
exposed to wrath eternal, dancing on the very brink 
of hell ! Fearful delusion ! strange, mysterious in- 
fatuation ! 

Go to many a mother and ask if her child is a 



HINTS TO MOTHERS. 311 

hopeful Christian, and you will receive a reply like 
this* "I hardly know; my child does not like to 
speak to me of his feelings. He converses more 
readily with his Sabbath-school teacher, or with 
some young friend, than with me." 

Strange ! Yourself a Christian, and not know if 
your child is striving to be one also. Were there a 
prospect that he might yet be an heir to a large es- 
tate, would you not soon satisfy yourself whether his 
title was clear and undisputed ? Should you not be 
more eager to learn if he is an heir to eternal life? 
Were you about starting on some pleasant journey, 
could you not ascertain if it were your daughter's 
wish to accompany you, and if she would, willingly 
make all needful preparations? And can you not 
learn whether she wishes to walk with you in the 
narrow way toward the Celestial city ? 

Such ignorance of her child's religious feelings is 
awful ! 

Christian parents should converse with their chil- 
dren respecting their soul's interests. From early 
childhood accustom them freely to speak of their own 
desires and efforts. So may you be better able to 
assist and guide them. 

By prayerful effort first interest your own heart. 
Earnestly ask your heavenly Father's help, that you 
may be enabled to reach the heart of your child. 
Then, when your soul is alive, on fire! go to your 



312 HINTS TO MOTHERS. 

child, and speak of jour own intense anxiety for the 
salvation of his soul, and ask his confidence/ A 
mothers tearful anxiety can not easily be withstood. 
Persevere in faith and prayer, and your happiness will 
be to lead your son or daughter to the Saviour's feet. 
In many places the Spirit of God is just at this time 
especially present. Many young persons are secretly 
and tremblingly indulging the hope that they have 
found a Saviour precious to their souls. Who so well 
as mothers, can encourage and rightly guide these 
lambs of the Good Shepherd's flock ? Christian 
mother, do not willingly yield this high and holy 
privilege to another. 

" WTio can know a mother's yearning, 

Who can tell a mother's fears ; 
W r hen her purest love is burning 

For the child of tender years ? 
Eagerly she scans the future, 

Trembling- lest a cloud may rise 
That shall fall around her darling, 

Shadowing all life's sunny skies. 

" But the doings of to-morrow, 

Her fond eye can not discern ; 
Be the path through joy or sorrow 

Into which her child may turn ; 
Strong in faith she looketh upward, 

And invokes a Father's care ; 
' Guide those footsteps lest they wander/ 

Is the mother's earnest prayer." 



LOVING LITTLE FOLKS. 



313 




LOVING LITTLE FOLKS. 
Who does not — 

" Thank God for little children- 
Bright flowers by earth's wayside — 
The dancing, joyous lifeboats 
Upon life's stormy tide." 

These lively cherubs enliven our pathway and 
cheer us onward. They are the roses of morning, the 
flowers of Eden, the spice of life, the smiling beauties 
of spring-time. How many valuable lessons do little 
children — sweet, smiling, lovely, obedient, lamb-like 
— teach us! 

Jesus took little children in his arms, blessed them, 

and said, " Of such is the kingdom of heaven" — " Ex- 

14 



814 LOVIXG LITTLE FOLKS. 

eept ye be converted, and become as little children, 

ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever, 

therefore, humbleth himself as this little child, the 

same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." — Matt 

xviii. 3. 

" Thank God for little children— 

"When our skies are cold and grey, 
They steal as sunshine in our hearts, 
And charm our cares away. 

I almost think the angels, 

Wno tend life's gardens fair, 
Drop down the sweet wild blossoms 

That bloom around us here. 

It seems a breath of heaven 

Hound many a cradle lies, 
And every little baby 

Brings a blessing from the skies. 

Dear mothers guard these jewels, 

As sacred offerings meet, 
A wealth of household treasures, 

To lay at Jesus 7 feet." 



<o: 



Send your little child to bed happy. Whatever 
cares press, give it a warm good-night kiss as it goes 
to its pillow. The memory of this in the stormy 
years which fate may have in store for the little one, 
will be like Bethlehem's star to the bewildered shep- 
herds. " My father — my mother — loved me !" Lips 
parched with the world's fever will become dewy 
again at this thrill of youthful memories. Kiss your 
little child before it goes to sleep ! 



MODESTY. 315 



MODESTY! 

" A bud of moral beauty. Let the dews 
Of knowledge and the light of virtue wake it 
In richest fragrance and in purest hues." 

Modesty is one of the purest, most beautiful, lovely, 
charming graces. What is so fascinating, captivating, 
adorning to females as modesty beaming forth ra- 
diantly in every feature, every thought, look, word, 
and deed ? O modesty, how lovely thou art ! Angels 
are enamored at thy seraphic loveliness ! All heaven 
smiles complacently at thy enchanting beauties ! 

" what tender thoughts beneath 
Those silent flowers are lying." 

Modesty in a female is the crowning excellence of 
all excellence, the topmost stone of the graces super- 
lative. It is that which renders her so refined, so 
gentle, and so lovable, and adds new lustre to any 
virtue she may possess ; the very fact of half conceal- 
ing her virtues doubles their lustre — for virtues are like 
flowers, more beautiful in the bud than when full 
blown and blazoned out to all the world. A young 
woman, modest in conversation, modest in demeanor, 
and modest in her actions, inspires every sensible per- 
son with respect and confidence. 

Mothers, beloved, do you think of this in rearing 
the tender thought, in costuming your little ones? 



316 KEEP THE PEACE. 

Is modesty consulted first and always ? Are you ex- 
ceedingly, minutely, intensively cautious in all your 
inculcations ? — 

" That no stain of sin may settle, 
Like the dust on wayside daisies, 
On their souls, to soil their sweetness.'" 

Beware, as you value the modest purity of your 
lovely ones, their welfare eternal, beware how you 
adorn them : beware of worldly conformity. 

" False lights are darting all around 
And voices thro' the air resound, 
To lure us from the truth away, 
'Mid all uncertain wilds to stray." 

Where can we hope for virtuous modesty, gospel 
purity and simplicity, except in Christian mothers ? 

" Modesty, like diamonds, shine most fair, 
More worth than pearls or rubies are, 
More rich than gold or silver coin, 
may it always on us shine." 



KEEP THE PEACE. 

Wherever our great adversary, the Devil, has suc- 
ceeded in driving a wedge of discord, let us rally to 
the rescue in the name of the Lord. Let those whose 
eyes are open to the devices of the destroyer stand firm 
and quit themselves like soldiers of the cross. Forget 
not that Jesus has said, " Blessed are the peacemakers." 



THE BEAUTIFUL EMILY. 



317 




THE BEAUTIFUL EMILY; 



OR, A SECRET WORTH KNOWING. 



" what tender thoughts beneath 
Those silent flowers are lying, 
Hid within the mystic wreath 
My love hath kissed in tying! 

On that cheek and o'er that brow, 

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 

But tell of days in goodness spent ; 
A mind at peace with all below, 

A heart whose love is innocent." 

And why was Emily beautiful — very beautiful? 
What made her beautiful ? Was it her personal 
beauty, the elegance of her form, her beautiful coun- 
tenance, her rosy cheeks, her ruby lips, the smile of 
courtesy and affability ? Was it her earthly treasures, 
her external decorations, that made her beautiful ? 



9 



18 THE BEAUTIFUL EMILY. 



her fine dress, fashionable costume, ornaments of 
gold, pearls, and costly array? Xay, it was some- 
thing infinitely superior to personal beauty or exter- 
nal decoration. Emily was not handsome, no one 
called her beautiful in the sense the world calls beau- 
tiful. Tet she was beautiful ; she had a calm, digni- 
fied, virtuous, benevolent countenance ; a sweet, 
heavenly smile played upon her lips. Her heart 
glowed seraphically ! Her peace flowed as a river. 
Her whole appearance was exceedingly pleasant and 
agreeable. 

Emily was not clad in rich, beautiful or costly rai 
ment, or fashionable clothing ; she always appeared 
neatly and modestly dressed, and in good taste; and 
when once attired, she seemed not even to think of 
her personal appearance, as many others do. 

Her costume was plain, neat, simple, modest, eco- 
nomical. What then the secret of Emily's beauty, 
her constantly increasing loveliness ? Ladies, are you 
not desirous to know this secret ? 

The secret of secrets is out : she adhered unwaver- 
ingly to the apostolical record in 1 Pet. iii. 4 : 
"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorn- 
ing of plaiting the hair, and of wearing gold, or of 
putting on apparel ; but let it be the hidden man of 
the heart, in that which is not corruptible. Even the 
ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the 
sight of God of great price." 



THE BEAUTIFUL EMILY. 319 

This was Emily's standard. And is it not sad the 
times and the styles have so changed as to make this 
fashion of dress and adornment so little valued and 
practised by society ; especially when it is declared 
that God so highly esteems and prizes it ? Lovely 
Emily ! 

" Pray that God may keep her 
From the world pure and unspotted ; 
That no stain of sin may settle, 
Like the dust on wayside daisies, 
On her soul, to soil its whiteness." 

Female piety, what more lovely, beautiful, grace- 
ful, powerful ? What robe so rich, so white, so be- 
coming, so enchanting, as the robe of righteousness? 
It is the grace of graces, the heart of hearts — more 
precious than rubies. 

Female piety is the gem of all others which enriches 
the coronet of a lady's character. Nature may lavish 
much on her person — the enchantment of the coun- 
tenance — the grace and strength of her intellect — yet 
her loveliness is uncrowned till piety throws around 
the sweetness and power of her charms. She then 
becomes unearthly in her desires and associations. 
The spell which bound her affections to the things be- 
low is broken, and she mounts on the silent wings of 
her fancy and hope to the habitation of the blest. 

Piety communicates a divine lustre to the female 
mind. Wit and beauty, like the flowers of * the field, 



320 SPRING, 

may flourish and charm for a season ; but, like the 
flowers, whose gifts are frail and fading, age will nip 
the bloom of beauty; sickness and misfortune will 
stop the current of wit and humor. -In the gloomy 
season piety will support the drooping soul like the 
refreshing dew upon the parched earth. Such is 
piety, like a tender flower, planted in the fertile soil 
of a woman's heart, it grows expanding its foliage, 
and imparting its fragrance to all around, till trans- 
planted and set to bloom in perpetual vigor and un- 
fading beauty in the paradise of God. Follow this 
star, it will light you through every labyrinth in the 
wilderness of life, gild the gloom that gathers round 
the dying hour, and bring you safely over the tempes- 
tuous Jordan of death into the heaven of promised 
rest. 



-0OOO0- 



SPRING. 

The spring is here with opening flowers, 

The grass is springing green ; 
And all the young and glad are met — 

A joyous crowd are seen ; 
And some are roving east and west, 

Or on the sounding sea ; 
But peace, and love, and joy to them, 

Wherever they may be. 



PLEASE YOUR HUSBAND ! 321 

PLEASE YOUR HUSBAND! 

Do you wear jewelry to please your husband, sister, 
that breastpin ? Well, will this pleasing your hus- 
band please Jesus ? Which do you prefer to please : 
your husband or your Saviour ? who " For you bore 
the shameful cross and carried all your griefs" ? 

" What's the harm, pray, in wearing a modest gold 
breastpin ?" 

What's the harm, sister, in wearing any ornaments 
of gold ? Why did the Holy Spirit say : " Whose 
adorning let it not be that outward adorning. ... of 
wearing of gold," etc. See also 1 Tim. ii. 9. If it is 
right for you to wear a gold breastpin, why not also 
gold ear-rings, finger-rings, gold wristbands, tip off 
from top to toe in gold, even to nose-jewels like the 
heathen ? The Bible makes no distinction between 
much gfold or little gold. 

Says the " Earnest Christian :" " It is idle to talk 

about keeping the spirit of this command, when both 

letter and spirit are violated. The ' spirit ' of a law 

is more comprehensive than the letter ; it includes 

that and often more. The prohibition to wear gold 

may, in its spirit, forbid aH pride of apparel ; but it 

does not therefore countenance the wearing of «;old. 

We must be careful how we take liberties with the 

word of God. He means what He says, and says 

what He means. Gold means gold, whatever else 

14* 



322 PLEASE YOtTR HUSBAND ! 

if 

may be included. Do you say that the prohibition 
from wearing it is a trifling commandment, unworthy 
of our notice ? But can you fail to see that such re- 
flections pour contempt upon God \ Do you forget 
that our Saviour has said, ' Whosoever shall break 
one of these least commandments, and shall teach 
men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of 
heaven,' — that is, he shall not enter ?" 

" He that offendeth in one point is guilty of all." 
It's the little foxes that destroy the vines ; it's the 
little leak that sinks the ship ; it's the little spark 
that kindles the flames. " Behold how great a matter 
a little fire kindleth." Sister, you profess to be a 
Christian, enjoy the inner life, — what the effect of 
your example on the lambs of the flock ? What says 
Christ of those who offend or cause to stumble " one 
of these little ones ?" Read Matt, xviii. 6-8. 

But you wear the gold breastpin to please your 
husband ? Beware of this trap of Satan, beware lest, 
like Samson, you are shorn of your locks. " He that 
loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy 
of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more than 
me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his 
cross and followeth after me, is not worthy of me." 

11 At his command, we must take up 
Our cross without delay ; 
Our lives — and thousand lives of ours— 
Can ne'er his love repay." 



PLEASE YOUR HUSBAND I 323 

Which will you have ? your finery, your fashion - 
able dressing, your ear jewels, breastpins, finger-rings, 
your flounces and gay artificials, your costly attire, or 
Jesus, the blessed Saviour, the gift of power, the 
fruits of the Spirit, love, peace, gentleness, goodness, 
a pure conscience, a sweet, holy, heavenly joy, all 
that is lovely and of good report, a sure hope of life 
eternal ? "Which will you choose ? You can have 
one or the other, as you please, but not both — no man 
can serve two masters. 

Whom will you serve ? the god of fashion, or the 
Lord of lords, King of kings, the Holy One of Israel ? 

u What is beauty ? Not the show 
Of shapely limbs and features. No, 
These are but flowers 
That have their dated hours, 
To breathe their momentary sweets, then go. 
*Tis the stainless soul within." 

Says Joshua, " Choose you this day whom ye will 
serve ; . . . but as for # me and my house, we will 
serve the Lord." Josh. xxiv. 15. 



cCCOO" 



" The first step to form the mind of the child, is to 
conquer its will. When once subdued, then many in- 
dulgences may be safely granted." Said the guilty 
Webster, when about to die for the fatal blow he dealt 
poor Parkman — not in malice, but in rage — " In early 
childhood, mine was a quick and off-hand temper, 
which was never subdued. I was a petted and in- 
dulged child, and all this is the end of it." 



324 




BEAUTIES OF NATURE — BEAUTIES OF GRACE. 325 



BEAUTIES OF NATURE-BEAUTIES OF GRACE. 

Nature is beautiful, grace is more beautiful. 

What more beautiful in nature than a rich land- 
scape, fields in verdure, scattered trees and flowers, 
running water, animals grazing, and a lovely female 
sketching the scenery ? 

" The landscape, lately shrouded 
By evening 's paler ray, 
Smiles beauteous and unclouded, 
Before the eye of day." 

* Beautiful as nature is, grace far exceeds it in beauty. 
Grace transforming the soul beautiful ? Sight lovely, 
angelically ! — loveliness on loveliness — superlatively 
beautiful ! And not merely beautiful, but sublime, 
heroic, to see a young woman rise superior to the 
world ; its blandishments, its gaieties, superfluities, 
follies, flatteries, fashionable costumes — rise in the 
strength and wisdom of redeeming grace — in all that 
is pure, virtuous, amiable, God-fearing, God-serving! 
Adorning herself, as the Lord says, in modest apparel, 
with shamefacedness and sobriety ; not with broidered 
hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array, but (which 
becometh women professing godliness) " with good 
works " — " with the ornament of a meek and quiet 
spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 
We speak of heroic deeds in the battle-field of the 



326 BEAUTIES OF NATURE BEAUTIES OF GRACE. 

Alexanders, the Napoleons, the brave generals of the 
Revolution — but what are these compared to a young 
woman abandoning forever every superfluity and 
fashionable expenditure, redeeming her time to do 
good, to glorify God in her body and her spirit, which 
are God's ? 

Instances rare ! in this day of exuberant folly and 
idolatry ! This very rarity renders this God-like self- 
denial more admirable, praiseworthy, glorious ! It's 
a martyr spirit, eminently so. 

Such a spectacle of the morally sublime is the ad- 
miration of angels. They stoop to gaze upon it with 
joy seraphic, bend their golden plumes. God himself 
smiles complacently. Nothing but the hidden man 
of the heart will enable a young woman, in the 
beauty and morning of life, to take Jesus thus con- 
secratedly and entire, for her friend, her guide, her 
pattern, her life, her all and in all — to acknowledge 
Him in all her ways ! O lovely sight, ecstatically 
beautiful ! 

This conquest is not an army merely, but of the 
world, the whole world. 

Let woman dare to do right — whether fashionable 
or unfashionable. Let her dare to do so in the smaller 
no less than in the larger matters of life. Let her 
dare to obey God, and the laws of God, both natural 
and revealed — both within and around her — rather 
than the laws of any man or set of men. Let her do 



BEAUTIES OF NATURE — BEAUTIES OF GRACE. 327 

this, and she will evince true moral courage as far 
surpassing the brighest efforts of physical courage, 
as right surpasses might ; virtue, vice ; or purity, im- 
purity. 

" On that cheek and o'er that brow, 
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 
The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 

But tell of days in goodness spent ; 
A mind at peace with all below, 
A heart whose love is innocent." 

In a word, it's daring to be singular — to face the 
enemy, the world, the flesh, the devil — saying joy- 
fully, " Get thee hence, Satan ; it is written thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou 
serve." 

It's taking God for her portion ; exemplifying the 
religion of Jesus Christ in her every day walk, in all 
the Christian graces — the fruit of the Spirit, love, 
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity. 
O for a cloud of such witnesses ! such angels of 
mercy ! soon our dark world would be transformed, 
beautified, blossom as the rose. Sisters, will you do 
it ? do it now ? 

" Know ye not that the friendship of the world is 
enmity with God ? Whosoever therefore will be a 
friend of the world, is the enemy of God." 

" What ! know ye not that your body is the temple 
of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of 
God, and ye are not your own ?" 



328 THE GIFT OF GIFTS. 

THE GIFT OF GIFTS. -U0. I. 

A WORD TO HUSBANDS. 

Husband, have you this gift of gifts ? Has God in 
superabounding mercy given you a dear wife, lovely, 
virtuous, prudent, sensible, intelligent? and above all 
a God-fearing wife, meek, modest, humble, Christ- 
like ? " an help meet" in very deed ? Well, what do 
you think of it? Do you appreciate the blessing 
duly ? make suitable returns ? Canyon do it ? Such 
a gift is unspeakable. 

How few, comparatively, appreciate the gift of a 
good wife? Avery godly man said to us recently, 
" I thank the Lord daily, hourly, for the jewel of a 
wife God hath given me." A distinguished writer — 
speaking of the value of a good wife — remarks thus : 

" In the true wife the husband finds not affection 
only but companionship — a companionship with 
which no other can compare. The family relation 
gives retirement without solitude, and society without 
the rough intrusion of the world. It plants in the 
husband's dwelling a friend who can listen to the de-' 
tails of his interests with sympathy, who can appreci- 
ate his repetition of events, only important as they 
are embalmed in the heart. Common friends are 
linked to us by a slender thread. We must retain 
them by ministering, in some way, to their interest or 



THE GIFT OF GIFTS. 329 

their enjoyment. What a luxury it is for a man to 
feel that in his house there is a true and affectionate 
being, in whose presence he may throw off restraint 
' without danger to his dignity ; he may confide with- 
out the fear of treachery, and be sick or unfortunate 
without being abandoned. If, in the outward world, 
he grow weary of human selfishness, his heart can 
safely trust in one whose soul yearns for his hap- 
piness, and whose indulgence overlooks his de- 
fects." 

Give your wives to understand that you esteem them 
above all others ; make them your confidants ; con- 
fide in them and they will confide in you ; confidence 
begets confidence, love begets love, sweetness begets 
sweetness. 

Above all, sympathize with the wives of your bo- 
soms in the hour of affliction. Rejoice with them 
when they rejoice, and weep with them when they 
weep. Who, if not a bosom companion, will wipe 
from the cheek the falling tear of sorrow? 

Finally, husbands, remember that death will soon 
sever the connubial cord! When you behold her, 
witli whom you lived, and toiled, and wept, and re- 
joiced, cold and lifeless, laid in the coffin, 

41 Think of the happiness so deep and tender 

That filled thy heart when wandering: by her side, 
Think how her faintest smile had power to render 
The darkest moment one of love and pride. 



330 THE GOOD WIFE. 

And now that this frail form in death grows colder, 
A sweet, calm rapture fills the partiug hour, 

That thou art with her, though a sad beholder, 
A witness of the dear Redeemer's power!" 

Will you then regret that you studied always to 
promote her happiness? that the law of kindness and 
love dwelt on your lips evermore f O think, and be 
now her ministering angel ! 

" A prudent wife is from the Lord," directly / to 
God be all the praise. 



ceo 



THE GOOD WIFE. 

Jeremy Taylor says, "If you are for pleasure, 
marry — if you prize rosy health, marry — and if money 
is your object, marry. A good wife is heaven's best 
gift to man — his angel and minister of graces innu- 
merable — his gem of many virtues — his casket of 
jew r els — her voice his sweetest music — her smiles his 
brightest day — her kiss the guardian of his innocence 
— her arms the pale of his safety, the balm of his 
health, the balsam of his life — her industry his surest 
wealth — her economy his safest steward — her lips his 
faithful counselors — her bosom the safest pillow of 
his cares — and her prayers the ablest advocates of 
heaven's blessings on his head." 



THE GIFT OF GIFTS. 331 

THE GIFT OF GIFTS. -NO. II. 

A WORD TO HUSBANDS. 

" What is there in the vale of life 
Half so delightful as a wife, 
When friendship, love, and peace combine 
To stamp the marriage bond divine ? 
The stream of pure and genuine love 
Derives its current from above ; 
And earth a second Eden shows, 
Where'er the healing water flows." 

Husbands, do you love your wives " even as Christ 
also loved the church, and gave himself for it ?" " So 
ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies." 
" He that loveth his wife loveth himself." Love be- 
gets love, sweetness begets sweetness. An excellent 
writer says : 

" Only let a woman be sure that she is precious to 
her husband — not useful, not valuable, not convenient 
simply, but lovely and beloved ; let her be the recip- 
ient of his polite and hearty attentions ; let her feel 
that her care and love are noticed, appreciated, and 
returned ; let her opinion be asked, her approval 
sought, and her judgment respected in matters of 
which she is cognizant ; in short, let her only be loved, 
honored, and cherished in fulfillment of the marriage 
vow, and she will be to her husband, and her chil- 
dren, and society, a well-spring of pleasure. She will 
bear pain and toil and anxiety ; for her husband's 



332 THE GIFT OF GIFTS. 

love is to her as a tower and a fortress.- Shielded and 
sheltered therein, adversity will have lost its sting. 
She may suffer, but sympathy may dull the edge of 
her sorrow. A house with love in it — and by love I 
mean love expressed in words and looks and deeds, 
for I have not one spark of faith in the love that 
never crops out — is to a house without love as a per- 
son to a machine ; the one life, the other mechanism. 
" The unloved woman may have bread just as light, 
a house just as tidy as the other ; but the latter has a 
spring of beauty about her, a joyousness, an aggres- 
sive and penetrating, and pervading brightness, to 
which the former is a stranger. The deep happiness 
in her heart shines out in her face. She is a ray of 
sunlight in the house. She gleams all over it. It is 
airy, and gay, and graceful, and warm, and welcom- 
ing with her presence. She is full of devices and 
plots and sweet surprises for her husband and family. 
She has never done with poetry. She is herself a 
lyric poem, setting herself to all pure and gracious 
melodies. Humble household ways and duties have 
for her a golden significance. The prize makes the 
calling higher, and the end dignifies the means. Her 
home is a paradise, ' for love is heaven, and heaven 
is love.' " 

" Nor steel nor fire itself hath power, 
Like woman in her conquering hour. 
Do thou but fair — mankind adore thee ! 
Smile — and a world is weak before thee I" 



THE GIFT OF GIFTS. 333 

The poet lias disclosed the whole secret of woman's 
conquering power. Fair in her virtue, pure in her 
thought, smiling in her goodness, she wields an influ- 
ence which mailed warriors never could. Her strength 
is in her Christian graces, her weapon is divine love ; 
and her power is resistless when these are combined 
with modest merit, and dictated by conscious duty. 



*co> 



As a counselor, the faithful wife is invaluable. 
Well might Solomon say — " The heart of her husband 
doth safely trust in her." It is difficult to find a friend 
who is so deeply interested in our welfare as to take 
the trouble to study out our perplexities — so conversant 
with us and our affairs as to understand our wants and 
dangers — so morally brave as to venture to tell us un- 
welcome truths — so perfectly disinterested as to assure 
us that no selfishness prompts his advice, and so perse- 
vering as repeatedly to urge that which is for our bene- 
fit. A wife is such a friend, and a wise man will often 
seek her counsel. And there is something in the ready, 
instinctive impressions of an intelligent wife which no 
sane husband should ever despise. She does not stop 
to collect facts, weigh arguments, and draw inferences. 
Her impressive nature, which renders her indisposed 
slowly to reason, is furnished with an instinctive per- 
ception of the right, which is better than logic. 



334 A HINT TO WIVES. 



A HIITT TO WIVES. 



Wife, is your husband able to gratify all your 
wishes ? to buy this thing and that — this article of 
costume, or furniture, or that ? And if so be he is 
able, is it right for him to do it ? Some wives, we 
are sorry to say, lack prudence, foresight, good 
economy, right views of stewardship. They seem to 
take it for granted that their husbands can and will 
gratify every wish and desire of fancy, without even 
reflecting a moment whether or not the thing desired 
is actually necessary or expedient ! The cry is, 
" Give, give," when, perhaps, the poor jaded, hen- 
pecked husband is put to his wits' end, in providing 
indispensables, daily necessities. 

A good, prudent, consistent, conscientious, God- 
fearing, common sense woman, instead of driving 
ahead, Jehu-like, persistently in the gratification of 
merely imaginary wants, pushing her better half to 
the very verge of impatience or disquietude, will re- 
flect at the outset, and say, " Husband, dear, have 
you the means at hand, just now, to procure such or 
such an article of dress or furniture ? Can you do it 
consistently, and meet your other engagements duly ? 
Will the purchase of it be advisable in our circum- 
stances ? And above all, will God be well pleased 
with this expenditure of his capital ?" 



A HINT TO WIVES. 335 

How very few, comparatively, even think of going 
to God for direction in their furnishing expenditures 
— as stewards of his, gain his consent, his entire ap- 
probation — to know assuredly whether or not it will 
be agreeable to Him thus to draw on his bank ! 
Whereas, this understanding should be first, midst, 
last, always: have we a right to take a single farthing 
of God's money without first consulting him — gaining 
his entire, hearty approbation % Wives, dear, do you 
think of this stewardship when soliciting your hus- 
bands for household adornments — for personal deco- 
rations — or in your shopping trips % Do you ? By- 
and-by God will say, " Give an account of thy stew- 
ardship." 

Stop and think. Think twice, three times, before 
you purchase. Do you really need the article ? It is 
probably a pretty trifle in dress, in furniture ; but 
what solid benefit will it be to you ? Or is it some 
luxury for the table that you can as well do without? 
Think, therefore, before you spend your money. Or, 
you need a new carpet, new sofa, new chairs, new 
bedstead, or a new dress ; you are tempted to buy 
something a little handsomer than you had intended ; 
and while you hesitate, the dealer will say to you, 
" It's only a trifle more, and see how far prettier it 
is." But, before you purchase, stop and think. 
Will you be the better a year hence, much less in old 
age, for having squandered your money ? Is it not 



336 A HINT TO WIVES. 

wiser to " lay by something for a rainy day," and for 
doing good ? 

Think again of your stewardship — ask counsel — 
seek wisdom from above. Better not have any thing 
except God in mercy gives it. Even the best gifts, 
the choicest the world can afford, unless gifts of God, 
bestowed in mercy in answer to prayer, will prove a 
trap, a snare, a pillow of thorns. Beware, friends, 
how you lay up " treasures on earth, where moth and 
rust doth corrupt and thieves break through and 
steal." " Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which 
is not?" " Set your affections on tilings above, not 
on things on the earth." How many err from the 
faith, pierce themselves through witli many sorrows, 
by running before they are sent, by exercising their 
own will and wisdom, in opposition to God's ; by not 
seeking counsel of the Holy One, the wisdom that 
cometh from above? What multitudes drag out a 
miserable, wretched life, by being unequally yoked ! 
by forming connections unsanctioned by reason, 
prayer, or the word of God. 

Beloved reader, you had better have no lands, no 
house, no place to lay your head, no husband, no wife, 
no children, no friends, no earthly good, save from 
God, except God in mercy bestow it in answer to the 
prayer of faith. 

" Every good gift and every perfect gift is from 
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, 



I WAIT FOR THEE. 337 

with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of 
turning." 

" Wives, submit yourselves unto your own hus- 
bands as it is fit in the Lord." Col. iii. 18. 

" A prudent wife is from the Lord." 



I WAIT FOR THEE. 

The hearth is swept, the fire is bright, 

The kettle sings for tea : 
The cloth is spread, the lamps are light, 
The hot cakes smoke in napkins white, 

And now I wait for thee. 

Come home, love, home, thy task is done, 

The clock ticks, listlingly ; 
The blinds are shut, the curtains down, 
The warm chair to the fireside drawn, 
The boy is on my knee. 

Come home, love, home — his deep, fond eye 

Looks round him wistfully, 
And when the whispering winds go by, 
As if thy welcome step Vere nigh, 
He crows, exultingly. 

At last along the crisp walk, fast 

That well-known step doth come ; 
The bolt is drawn, the gate is past, 
The babe is wild with joy at last — 
A thousand welcomes home ! 



338 



A BIBLE WOMAN, OK 




A BIBLE WOMAN, OB A WOMAN OF THE BIBLE. 

" Self made—from the word, 
And only from the word." 

Her delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his 
law doth she meditate day and night. She embraces 
every moment, even while engaged in her domestic 
duties in poring over the sacred volume. 



A WOMAN OF THE BIBLE. 339 

Her theology is Bible-theology. Every thing 
touching family discipline, church discipline, prayer, 
praise — the reforms of the day, the questions of tem- 
perance, moral reform, the Sabbath, the slavery ques- 
tion, Christian union ; the doctrines of faith, repent- 
ance, holy living, sanctification, future rewards and 
punishments, heaven and hell ; the second coining of 
Christ — death, judgment, and eternity ; all are drawn 
from the Book of books, without note or comment. 
She pins her faith to no man's sleeve, she calls no man 
master on earth. She swings loose on God, she 
searches the Scriptures daily and prayerfully for her- 
self, to know what God the Lord will speak, how he 
speaks, when he speaks, what he speaks. She follows 
on to know the Lord — watching thereunto with all 
perseverance, and supplication for all saints. Her 
daily walk and conversation, her whole deportment, 
the words of her mouth, the meditations of her heart, 
are founded on the pure, unadulterated word of eter- 
nal life. The Bible is her meat and her drink ; she 
feasts upon it, drinks into its spirit, and is sanctified 
through it. Christ is all, and in all, her life, her hope, 
her joy, her sun, her shield, her rock of defense, her 
high tower, her wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
and redemption ; her prophet, priest, and king. She 
is literally and emphatically a Bible student. 

Friends, is not this the way ? the duty of all ? 
" Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils, 



340 A PLAN FOR READING THE BIBLE THROUGH. 

for what is he to be accounted of?" Her resolve is 
evermore — 

" Yes, sweet Bible, I will hide thee 

Deep, yes, deeper in this heart ; 
Thou, through all my life wilt guide me, 

And in death we will not part, 
Part in death ? No, never ! never ! 

Through death's vale I'll lean on thee ; 
Then in worlds beyond forever, 

Sweeter still the truth shall be." 



eCCOa. 



A PLAN FOR READING THE BIBLE THROUGH IN ONE 

TEAR. 

Read three chapters every week day, and five every 
Sabbath, and you will go through the Bible in a year. 

A better plan still is, to divide the Bible ; to begin 
with Genesis, Job, and Matthew, to read three chap- 
ters in a section daily, in consecutive order, and five in 
all, every Sabbath, thus finishing at the end of the year. 
This is far more profitable than to read the Bible at 
random, without regard to connexion, scope, or subject. 

" Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have 
eternal life ; and they are they which testily of me." 

" The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver 
tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." 

11 The Bible — book of wondrous love ! 
Borne from God's eternal throne 
In Mercy's arms, to fallen man, 
To tell the Mission of the Son." 



A WORD TO MOTHERS. 



341 




A WORD TO MOTHERS. -NO. II 



A LITTLE ONE, HAVE YOU ? 

A beautiful first-born, a precious gem, a priceless 
immortal ! a choice gift of Heaven ? 

Well, mother, how are you going to train this help- 
less babe — this little lamb, now innocent, guileless ? 
How will you rear it ? educate it ? How ? for God ? 
for life eternal ? glory immortal? 

Will you begin now to bend the little twig, in the 
first buddings of life ? begin now to impart saving 



342 A WORD TO MOTHERS. * 

grace ? plant the germ everlasting ? seek for it the 
pearl of pearls, the hope that never dies ? 

"Will j 7 ou watch every "breath for God ? embrace 
every opportunity to instill the preciousness of virtuous 
modesty and purity ? Mother, will you watch over 
this little God-send momentarily for good, temporal 
and spiritual ? guard it as the apple of the eye against 
the first approach of evil, the least particle of con- 
taminating influence, or vicious associations ? 

Meanwhile, beloved, will you water these heavenly- 
inculcations with prayer as the dew of heaven ? 

Furthermore, will you walk softly — redeeming the 
time ? be careful every step — to exhibit the temper 
and spirit of Christ, set a living^ perpetual example 
of love, mercy, and truth, day in, day out ? 

Finally, mother, will you carry this precious little 
jewel constantly in the arms of faith, hope, and love ? 
Fold the precious charge in the very bosom of the 
Saviour ? 

" If He lay His hand on the children, 
My heart will be lighter, I know, 
For a blessing forever and ever 
Will follow them as they go." 

Nothing short of this continued, steadfast, Bible 
discipline will meet the emergencies of the case. 
This unwavering, ceaseless diligence in the path of 
duty and holy living is what God indicates in the 
precept, " Train up a child in the way it should go, 
and when it is old, it will not depart from it." 



A WORD TO MOTHERS. 343 

O, mother, on you rests the fearful responsibility 
of salvation or damnation of your offspring ! of life 
present, life eternal. 

u No wreath of flowers, no sparkling gem, 
No costly robes will then avail ; 
Nothing secures life's diadem, 

Nor saves one from the sinner's wail, 
But to possess 
Christ's righteousness, 
And have our hope within the vaiL" 



occ; 



Nothing tends so much to sour the feelings, and to 
create irritability of # temper, as fretting and scolding. 

Parents should always use firmness and decision in 

the management of their children, but never scold. 

Some mothers would not for the world strike a child 

a blow, but they will scold and threaten him every 

hour in the day. You would grieve, loving mother, 

over the ruin of your child, but if such a course of 

treatment does not effect his ruin, it will be because 

stronger and better influences than you exert upon 

him have counteracted the pernicious tendency of 

your example and teaching. There is no way so 

effectual to teach children disobedience and disregard 

for authority, as by giving commands which you do 

not intend to fulfil. 

" A word — a look — has crushed to earth 
Full mauy a budding flower, 
Which, had a smile but owned its birth, 
Would bless life's darkest hour." 



344 ONCE, ONLY ONCE. 

OICE, OflLY ONCE.-UO. I. 

O yes, parent, let your children go once to a fash- 
ionable party, once to the ball-room, once to the circus, 
once to the theatre, and other resorts of the Satanics, 
then they will be satisfied — see the evil and abhor it. 
Do you believe this, parent ; do you ? Is this Gospel 
ground ? Does God in his holy word give any such 
intimation 1 Why not let them break the Sabbath 
once, curse, swear, take God's name in vain once, 
steal once, commit adultery, rape, robbery, and mur- 
der once % 

Some, who have the training oT children and youth, 
look upon it as a wise policy to let them resort to 
scenes of vice and degradation once, merely to gratify 
curiosity, or to avoid importunity. If it be right to 
visit such places once, why not twice, three times, 
and so on ? 

If it is right to visit such places at all, why not let 
them go frequently ? but if w r rong, why countenance 
them in sinning only once ? Why not, on the same 
policy, permit them to gratify themselves once in 
other sins ? Let them get drunk or visit a gambling- 
house only once, that they may have a personal ex- 
perience in the matter. We have sometimes said to 
parents, are you sure that only once will satisfy them ? 
May not the first experiment excite within them a 
taste which once will not satisfy ? If you put your 



ONCE, ONLY ONCE. 345 

children fairly in the road to ruin, is it certain that 
after one step the^ will voluntarily turn back ? If 
they go once with your permission, may they not be 
inclined to go often without it? If they see that you 
have no fixed, uncompromising principle on the sub- 
ject, can you expect them, in their experience, to 
have any ? It is false reasoning to urge, that if 
young people are not permitted to indulge themselves 
occasionally in this way, they will do it by stealth : 
for this is as much as to say, that if children will sin, 
it is better for them to do it with their parents' con- 
sent. No ; let parents be resolute and immovable in 
their principles, and their example and authority will 
go far to restrajn the children from vice ! and if they 
should fail of this effect, the parents will at least have 
the consolation of reflecting, that they never, by word 
or act, encouraged their offspring to run in the way 
of temptation. 



cCCO 



How seldom do we see a person whose self-will was 

not restrained in childhood becoming a Christian in 

later years. " A child left to himself," not only 

"'bringeth his mother to shame," but almost surely 

brings ruin upon himself. The parent who neglects 

with love and firmness to subdue bis child, in the 

language of the wise man, " hateth his own son ; but 

he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." 

15* 



34:6 ONCE, AND ONLY ONCE. 

ONCE, AND ONLY ONCE. -NO. II. 

Once is enough, all-sufficient, better than a thou- 
sand. Parents, never allow your little ones to dis- 
obey or trample on the first moving muscle, the slight- 
est wink, the least nod of parental requisition. Make 
no requests of your children, give no commands to 
them but such as are just, right, and reasonable, such 
as can be complied with, and ought to be complied 
with ; then let it be fully understood, the command 
given is to be obeyed cheerfully, unhesitatingly, the 
very instant the word falls from your lips. 

Says an excellent writer : " From your children's 
earliest infancy, inculcate the necessity of instant 
obedience. Unite firmness with gentleness. Let your 
children always understand that you mean exactly 
what you say." 

Children, even little children, are eagle-eyed ; they 
read the eye of the parent, his every look, the tone 
of his voice, the manner of his expression ; they very 
soon learn whether or not the parent is in good ear- 
nest and intends to be obeyed. Beloved, do you re- 
quest a child of yours to rise in the morning at a 
specific time, come to the altar of prayer, the break- 
fast-table, to do this or that ? What now ? — slacken 
the reins, repeat and r^-repeat your requisitions ; per- 
mit your little ones to obey or disobey at their own 
will and pleasure ? Very soon you reap the fruits of 



BEAUTY OF SOLITUDE. .347 

this tardiness or parental slackness. What you sow, 
you reap. Sow to the wind, you reap the whirlwind. 
It is utterly impossible to have clock-work in-doors or 
out, in the kitchen or in the parlor ; quiet, order, 
peaceful harmony, good will, at table, around the 
family altar, where this repetition is allowed for a 
moment. Besides, this one deviation from family 
order is the letting out of waters, the stepping-stone 
to more general and perpetual deviations, to more 
startling, headstrong, reckless outbreaks ; till the 
family (instead of an Eden or paradise) becomes a little* 
Bedlam, a scene of disorder and confusion. 



BEAUTY OF SOLITUDE. 

Unthinking heads, who have not learned to be 
alone, are in a prison to themselves, if they are not 
also with others. He who must needs have company, 
must some time have bad company. Be able to be 
alone ; lose not the advantage of solitude and so- 
ciety of thyself ; nor be only content, but delight to 
be alone and single with Omnipotency. He who is 
thus prepared, the day is not uneasy, nor the night 
black unto him. Darkness may bound his eyes, not 
his imagination. In his bed he may lie, in all quar- 
ters of the earth ; may speculate the universe, and 
enjoy the whole world in the hermitage of himself. 



348 WORK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS. 

WORK FOR BOYS AUD GIRLS. 

Keep them husy, out-doors and in, on the farm, in 
the work-shop, in the kitchen or in the parlor. Any 
honest calling is unspeakably better than idleness or 
trifling amusements. 

No parent is wise who permits his children to roam, 
play truant, or visit'the street school. " He that will 
not work neither shall he eat," is as applicable to little 
folks as to great folks. Keep boys and girls busy at 
their honest labor — 

" A little child may do good ; if he will do all he can, 
And boys and girls must work and toil, as surely as the man." 

Parents, do you wish to keep your little sons and 
daughters from mischief, from contaminating influ- 
ences? Keep their little hands busy in something 
useful. " An idle pate is the devil's workshop." An 
excellent author says : 

" The man who is obliged to earn necessities of life 
and support his family, knows not the unhappiness he 
prays for when he desires wealth and idleness. To be 
constantly busy is to be always happy. Persons who 
have suddenly acquired wealth, broken up their active 
pursuits, and begun to live at their ease, waste away, 
and die in a very short time. Thousands would have 
been blessings to the world, and added to the common 
stock of happiness, if they had been content to remain 



woman. m 349 

in an humble sphere, and earned every mouthful of 
food that nourished their bodies. Persons who are 
always busy and go cheerfully to their daily tasks, are 
the least disturbed by the fluctuations of business, and 
at night sleep with perfect composure. 

Earn your own bread, and see how sweet it will 
be ! Work, and see how well you will be ! Work, 
and see how cheerful you will be ! Work, and see 
how independent you will be ! Work, and see how 
happy your family will be ! Work, and see how re- 
ligious you will be ! for, before you know where you 
are, instead of repining at Providence, you will find 
yourself offering up thanks for all the numerous 
blessings you enjoy. 

" Employment ! employment ! oh, that is enjoyment ! 
There's nothing like ' something to do ;' 
Good heart-occupation is health and salvation ; 
A secret that's known to but few. 

" Then up, man and woman ! Be godlike — be human ; 
To self and to nature be true ! 
Employment ! employment ! oh, that is enjoyment ! 
There's nothing like ' something to do.' " 



WOMAN. 

She ne'er with treacherous kiss her Saviour stung, 
Nor e'er denied him with unholy tongue ; 
She, when apostles shrank, could danger brave ; 
Last at his cross and earliest at his grave. 



350 • the mother's mission. 



THE MOTHER'S MISSION. 

" Sometimes mothers think it is hard to be shut up 
at home with the care of little children. But she 
that takes care of little children takes care of great 
eternities. She that takes care of a little child takes 
care of an empire that knows no bounds and no di- 
mensions. 

" It was a great thing to have been^a Milton, and 
to*have written many of his sonnets, that are like birds 
without nests, singing in the air, and never tiring. 
It is a great thing to have written his ' Paradise Lost, 5 
and various other poems of his. But the mother that 
is bringing up a child is doing a work that is trans- 
cendent^ greater than the writing of any of Milton's 
pieces. The parent that stays at home and takes care 
of children, is doing a work as boundless as God's 
heart. 

" As when the time for seed-sowing is past, if the 
seed is not sown no industry or regret can avail ; so 
when a child has gone forth from under the parental 
care, if the work is not done you can not follow it, 
nor change it. Some alleviation there may be, and 
some after-refuge ; but there can be no complete 
remedy. There is no way of compensating for neg- 
lect to sow the seed at the proper time. The seed- 
sowing time is when your children are at home, in 



THE FAMILY. 351 

your family ; and if you are going to do 'any thing 
for them, you must do it then. Then take heed. The 
time is flying. What you do for your children, do 
quickly, or it will be too late. You may be taken 
from them. If they are taken from you, thank God. 
Happy is that family that has cherubs in heaven. 
Blessed are they whose care and responsibility are 
ended because Christ hath taken their darlings. Bet- 
ter teachers than you are, are angels. A better parent 
than you are, is God. And blessed are those of your 
children that have gone to be with Him, But w r hat 
is done for those that yet remain with you, must be 
done speedily. Your days are ages in their effect, and 
yet they are fugitive as the arrow that flits through 
the air. 



THE FAMILY. 

We talk much of the badness of the world ; and 
there are no men that do more to make it bad than 
bad parents and family governors. Many call for 
, church reformation and state reformation ; but if men 
would reform their families, and agree in a holy edu- 
cation of their children, and'a religious care of their 
servants, every church and state would soon be re- 
formed when they were made up of such reformed 
families. 



352 



A WORD TO THE LITTLE FOLKS. 







A WORD TO THE LITTLE FOLKS. 

ABOUT SPRING-TIME. 

" Spring is coming," and with it long and pleasant 
days ; and these will be greeted with songs of wel- 
come from forest, grove, and lawn. All nature will 



A WORD TO THE LITTLE FOLKS. 353 

be dressed and adorned like a bride, will send forth a 
most welcome greeting. Insects chirping, birds car- 
oling, lambs frolicking, brooks gurgling and dancing, 
children shouting. 

"Welcome, all hail to thee ! welcome young Spring ! 

The sun ray is bright on the butterfly's wing, 
^Beauty shines forth in the blossom-robed trees, 

Perfume floats by on the soft southern breeze." 

Tes, and the sweet little crocus will smile, and the 
modest violet nod its welcome, while snow-drops and 
pansies and gay dandelions will all sing, " Spring, 
we're here to greet you." And then the lilacs and 
hyacinths, daffodils, honeysuckles, and roses will send 
forth their grateful fragrance of " welcome." 

These all, and a thousand more of nature's voices, 
will combine to swell the chorus of joy and thanks- 
giving to the great and ever-blessed Giver. And 
shall the little ones, — the dear ones, — the most beau- 
tiful of all God's wonderful creation, — the representa- 
tives of angels, — shall these be kept silent ? O, no ! 
Let them sing. Guide them ; lead them gently, lov- 
ingly ; and they will follow like merry little lambs. 

" Spring is coming ; Spring is coming : 

Even now she's on the wing : 
Hark 1 the birds her songs are humming, 

Tuning for her welcoming. 
She will bring us happy hours, 
Robes of green and fairest flowors, 

Budding boughs and blossoming." 



S54 



THE COUNTRY. 




THE COUNTRY. 

""Would you be strong? go follow up the plow; 
Would you be thoughtful ? study fields and flowers ; 
"Would you be wise ? take on yourself a vow, 
To go to school in Nature's sunny bowers. 
Fly from the city ; nothing there can charm : 
Seek wisdom, strength, and virtue on a farm." 



Said a venerable farmer of eighty to a relative who 
lately visited him — " I have lived on this farm for 
over half a century. I have no desire to change my 
residence as long as I live on earth. I have no desire 
to be any richer than I now am. I have worshiped 
the God of my fathers with the same people for more 
than forty years. During that period I have rarely 
been absent from the sanctuary on the Sabbath, and 
have never lost but one communion season. I have 
never been confined to my bed by sickness a single 
day. The blessings of God have been richly spread 



THE COUNTRY. 355 

around me, and I made up my mind long ago that ii 
I wished to be any happier I must have more religion. 

" Talking of ' family ties,' and ' family love, 5 and 
' family gatherings,' where would they all be if it were 
not for a ' family day V " said the farmer. 

" What do you mean ?" we asked. 

" I mean," he replied, " that the Lord's day is the 
' family day.' Why, I, and thousands of workingmen, 
would hardly know our own children, if it were not 
for that blessed day which brings us all together. 
We are off in the morning before the little ones are 
up, and when we get home at night they are mostly 
gone to bed, or they are tired, and so are we, and it's 
not very much we can know of one another at the 
fag end of the w r eek ; but when that best day comes 
that is all our own, then we can gather together round 
the table or fireside, and talk to one another, and we 
can go to the house of God together, and thank him 
that he has given us one day in seven as a holy, happy 
family day. 

14 The noblest men I know on earth, 

Are men whose hands are brown with toil ; 

Who, backed by no ancestral graves, 
Hew down the woods and till the soil, 

And win thereby a nobler fame 

Than follows king or warrior's name." 



356 GIRLS SHOULD LEAKN TO KEEP HOUSE. 



GIRLS SHOULD LEAM TO KEEP HOUSE. 

" No young lady can be too well instructed in any 
thing which will affect the comfort of a family. 
Whatever position in society she occupies, she needs 
a practical knowledge of the duties of a housekeeper. 
She may be placed in such circumstances that it will 
not be necessary for her to perform much domestic 
labor ; but on this account she needs no less knowl- 
edge than if she was obliged to preside personally 
over the cooking-stove and pantry. Indeed, I have 
often thought that it is more difficult to direct others, 
and requires more experience, than to do the same 
work with our own hands. 

Mothers are frequently so nice and particular that 
they do not like to give up any part of their care to 
their children. This is a great mistake in their man- 
agement, for they are often burdened with labor, and 
need relief. Children should be early taught to make 
themselves useful — to assist their parents in every way 
in their power, andto consider it a privilege to do so. 

" Young people can not realize the importance of 
a thorough knowledge of housewifery, but those who 
have suffered the inconveniences and mortifications 
of ignorance can well appreciate it. Children should 
be early indulged in their disposition to bake and ex- 
periment in cooking in various ways. It is often but 



GIRLS SHOULD LEARN TO KEEP HOUSE. 357 

a ' troublesome help ' which they afford, still it is a 
great advantage to them. 

" I know a little girl who, at nine years old, made 
a loaf of bread every week during the winter. Her 
mother taught her how much yeast, and salt, and 
flour to use, and she became quite an expert baker. 
"Whenever she is disposed to try her skill in making 
simple cakes or pies she is permitted to do so. She 
is thus, while amusing herself, learning an important 
lesson. Her mother calls her her little housekeeper, 
and often permits her to get what is necessary for the 
table. She hangs the kej^s by her side, and very mu- 
sical their jingling is to her ears. I think, before she 
is out of her teens, upon which she has not yet en- 
tered, that she will have some idea how to cook. 

" Some mothers give their daughters the care of 
housekeeping, each a week by turns. It seems to me 
a good arrangement, and a most useful part of their 
education. 

" Domestic labor is by no means incompatible with 
the highest degree of refinement and mental culture. 
Many of the most elegant, accomplished women i 
have known, have looked well to their household du- 
ties, and have honored themselves and their husbands 
by so doing." 

Thus far from Anna Hope ; and who Anna Hope 
is we know not— but one thing we are sure of, she is 
not wise above what is written. Solomon speaks the 



358 NEVER PUT OFF. 

praises and properties of a good wife, in Proverbs, 
chapter xxxi. Girls, will you read it ? Begin at 
verse 10th. 

Economy, taste, skill in cooking, and neatness in 
the kitchen, have a great deal to do in making life 
happy and prosperous. The charm of good house- 
keeping is in the order, economy, and taste displayed 
in attention to little things, and these little things 
have a wonderful influence. A dirty kitchen and bad 
cooking have driven many a one from home to seek 
comfort and happiness somewhere else. None of our 
excellent girls are fit to be married until they are 
thoroughly educated in the deep and profound mys- 
teries of the kitchen. 



~<xzz>*> 



NEVER PUT OFF. 

"Whene'er a duty waits for thee, 
With sober judgment view it, 

And never idly wish it done ; 
Begin at once and do it. 

For Sloth says falsely, " By and by 

Is just as well to do it ;" 
But present strength is surest strength, 

Begin at once and do it. 



SUMMER IS HERE ! 



359 




SUMMER IS HERE! 

Pleasant, mild, balmy, beautiful ! Summer ! 
What visions of beauty float up before us at that 
word ! Summer ! Emerald-robed, flower-wreathed 
summer. It is the season of beauty and of gladness 
— the time of blue skies and gorgeous sunsets — of 



360 SUMMER IS HERE ! 

balmy airs and laughing waters — the season of music, 
of verdure, of blossoms, and of early, delicious fruits. 

" Give me the farmer's peaceful home, 
Beneath the maple high, 
Where nature's warblers wake the song, 
•The waters prattling nigh." 

Summer is here ! 

" MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES." 

Improve the fair weather while you have it, for 
soon it will be gone ; then cometh the foul weather, 
the wind, the rain, the snow, the hail, the storm. 
Improve the present : be wise to-day, 'tis madness to 
defer ! The present moment is yours — while you 
have it — and only the present. Make haste, O mor- 
tal, make haste ! Do what good thy hand tindeth to 
do with thy might. Make haste ere your glass is ruti, 
ere the silver cord is loosed or the golden bowl be 

broken. 

" Make haste, man, to do 
Whatever must be done ; 
Thou hast no time to lose in sloth, 
Thy day will soon be gone. 

Make haste, man, to live. 



There is no worse robber than a bad book. Other 
robbers may spoil us of our money, but a bad book 
robs us of our faith, our truth, our purity of heart — 
of all we value most. Young reader, beware of bad 
books ! 



A SPOILED BOY. 361 



A SPOILED BOY. 

Who was he ? He was Adonijah, one of David's 
sons. How was he spoiled ? By having his own 
way, and not being corrected by his father when he 
did wrong. The record is : " His father displeased 
him not at any time in saying — why hast thou done 
so V How do you know that he was spoiled ? His 
conduct shows it ; he was puffed up with vanity and 
pride, was headstrong, disobedient, and profligate. 
He aspired after the throne ; said, " I will he King; 
and prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty 
men to run before him," and treated his royal parent 
w T ith contempt. To what end did he come? To no 
good end. Such self-conceited, arrogant, wicked boys 
never come to any good end. He died the ignomin- 
ious death of a traitor. He was executed. Matthew 
Henry, commenting upon the course of tin's spoiled 
boy, says, " He in return made a fool of his father. 
Because he was old and confined to his bed, he 
thought no notice was to be taken of him, and there- 
fore exalted himself, and said — I will he King." 
Children that are indulged, learn to be proud and am- 
bitious, and that is the ruin of a great many young 
people. 

16 



362 



DON T SHOOT THE BIEDS. 




DOK'T SHOOT THE BIRDS. 

" Don't shoot the birds, the warbling birds, 

That cheer you with their song, 
That fill the air with melodies, 

A bright and happy throng ; 
That carol forth their native lays 

Prom shrub and lofty limb, 
And gaily sing their tuneful strains 

From morn till eveuing dim. 
Don't shoot the birds, the joyous birds, 

That charm the traveler's way." 



How thankful should we be that God has given us 
the dear birds to be our fellow-laborers and comforters, 
and the laborer is surely worthy of his hire. Why 
grudge him his pay? Why cheat him of his spring 
and summer work ? Soon we shall see them very 
busy. Many have already begun. 



THE BIRDS. 363 

" The sparrow builds her clever nest, 
Of wool, and hay, and moss ; 
Who taught her how to weave it best, 
And lay the twigs across ?" 

So that in their work as well as their notes, they 
point us to our " Father, who is in Heaven." 



■eCCO 



THE BIRDS. 

We love the song-birds, and feel that if they were 
taken away the earth would lose one of its richest 
and most wondrous charms. We love them and 
wonder at them, for of all God's irrational creatures, 
they are to us the most wondrous and beautiful. 
They are the choristers of heaven— the constant min- 
isters of that worship which goes up continually unto 
God — the unpaid and faithful preachers of an unself- 
ish and beautiful piety. 

Look at them, as swaying on flowery sprays, they 
gush out those strains which chime with the songs of 
angels — aye, look at them as they sing with upturned 
head, rapt, soft, and half-closed eyes, their frail forms 
quivering in the ecstatic joy, and say if you do not 
feel your cold and selfish heart melting into reveren- 
tial awe and rising up to God on the wings of praise 
and prayer. 



364 LITTLE SEEMONS. 

LITTLE SERMONS. 

u Who hath despised the day of small things /" 

" Why do we speak of ' a little thing/ 
And ' trifles light as air ?' 
Can aught be trifle which helps to bring 
One moment's joy or care ?" 

Little Sermons. — Preach them ? do you ? Every 
body should preach little sermons and great sermons, 
so long as one sin or one sinner exists. Preaching 
should be constant, — " in season and out of season." 
Line upon line should be given, precept on precept — 
here a little and there a little. 

"Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, and 
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speak - 
eth. Wherever, in the steamboat, rail-car, in the 
house, by the wayside, an opportunity offers, the faith- 
ful servant of the Lord opens his lips in mercy to 
two, three, six, eight, ten, more or less. On every 
suitable occasion he is ever ready to drop a kind word 
of rebuke, exhortation, and salvation. 

Every word of life, in the form of reproof, correc- 
tion, or instruction, from the heart to the heart ; — 
every act of true benevolence or mercy is a little ser- 
mon. Who then may not preach, rising up, lying 
down, going out, coming in, — always, everywhere ? 
And these little sermons, scattered up and down, are 
like the dew of heaven. Now, beloved reader, sup- 



LITTLE SERMONS. 365 

posing every one naming the name of Christ were 
thus faithful in delivering little, sermons, in opening 
his lips for Jesus, pointing sinners to the lamb of God 
that taketh away the sins of the world ; reproving, 
rebuking, exhorting with all long-suffering and doc- 
trine — rising up early % How long would it be ere 
the earth blossomed as the rose ? 

Some ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred, two hundred 
or more such little sermons would be preached daily 
by every true follower of Jesus ! Glorious ! 

" What wants the age ? Heart-earnest men 

To spread the truth, the truth defend ; 
Such on the earth we need again 

As God in ancient times did send ; 
Men reckless of wealth or fame, 

Of ignominy, scorn, or shame, 
The stake, the faggot, or the flame ; 

Their only object God ; and truth their only aim." 

" Many sermons, ingenious to their kind, may be 
compared to a letter put in the post-office without a di- 
rection. It is addressed to nobody, it is owned by no- 
body, and if a hundred people were to read it, not one 
of them would think himself concerned in the contents. 
Such a sermon, whatever excellencies it may have, 
lacks the chief requisite of a sermon. It is like a sword 
which has a polished blade, a jeweled hilt, and a gor- 
geous scabbard, but yet will not cut. ' Truth, properly- 
presented, has an edge, it pierces to the dividing asun- 
der of soul and spirit, it is a discerner of the thoughts 
and intents of the heart." 



366 KEEPING LITTLE FOLKS BUST. 



KEEPING LITTLE FOLKS BUST. 

11 "We need only labor as hard as we can, 
For all that our bodies may need ; 
Still doing our duty to God and to man, 
And we shall be happy indeed." 

THE GIRLS AND THE BOYS THE BOYS AND THE GIRLS. 

Serve them both alike ; educate both sexes to ac 
tive, useful, virtuous employment. Begin at the early- 
dawning of moral accountability ; make it the first, 
the great, the all-important concern. Says an excel- 
lent writer on this subject : 

" I would have every boy and girl in the whole 
country taught to make their own living at some use- 
ful employment ; to mark out for themselves a sphere 
of action, and then fill that sphere : to be useful in 
that honorable pursuit. I would not put the boys to 
trades and professions to make them great and good, 
and fold up the girls' hands, and lay them away in 
the drawer or shut them up in the parlor. I would 
not make the boys self-reliant and vigorous by gener- 
ous employment, and the girls weak, puny, and de- 
pendent by idleness or folly. I would not give the 
boys opportunities to develop their powers and be- 
come noble men, and deprive the girls of all these 
glorious privileges. I would not open a thousand 
avenues to distinction, wealth, and worth to the boys, 
and comparatively none to the girls. I would not 



KEEPING LITTLE FOLKS BUSY. 367 

send the boys out into the field of life bravely to earn 
a living, and grow strong in doing it, and the girls 
out to beg their living of the boys, and grow weak 
and worthless in their beggary. I like the girls too 
well to have them thus mistreated. I would give 
them just as good a chance as the boys have. They 
should not be degraded with half pay, and only two 
or three ways to get a living, just because they were 
made to be women." 

11 Labor with what zeal we will, 
Something still remains undone ; 
Something, uncompleted still, 
Waits the rising of the sun." 

THE JUDICIOUS PARENT 

Keeps his children at work diligently, systematic- 
ally — no time is lost — every moment is grasped — duly 
employed in something useful, profitable, praisewor- 
thy. He gives them no time or opportunity to be 
idle, play truant, serve Satan in the streets, by the 
wayside, or at public resorts. 

He keeps them busy at their pleasant labor ; even 
the little ones are employed the very moment they are 
able to use the implements of husbandry, mechanism, 
horticulture, type-setting, stitching, folding, or kitchen 
utensils. On they go, lively, cheerfully, happily. 
They soon love these useful callings — delight in them. 
It's recreation, amusement, life, joy. They are early 
taught to know God's requirements in opposition to 



368 KEEPING LITTLE FOLKS BUSY. 

the vain, trifling, wicked things in which many chil- 
dren spend their precious, golden moments, to their 
own destruction ? The wise and judicious parent be- 
gins early, at the outset of the first dawn of moral 
accountability, to inculcate in the minds and hearts 
of his little ones habits of virtue, industry, activity, 
sobriety, economy, and diligent obedience. The Bi 
ble, the blessed Bible is the motto, the text book, the 
guide, the lighthouse, the fountain head. 

" The Bible ! 'tis a book divine, 
Where heavenly truth and mercy shine ; 
And wisdom speaks in every line. 

" The Bible ! in this book alone, 
We find God's holy will made known ; 
And here his love to man is shown." 

These early business-like habits and moral inculca- 
tions, watered by the dews of heavenly grace, shield 
the juveniles from temptation's snare — they grow up 
to manhood's prime, become useful, benevolent citi- 
zens ; shine as lights. 

O for such parents, for such training universally ! 
Soon our sterile, parched-up, desolate world would 
flourish, and blossom as the rose. 

" So love doth spring, so love doth grow, 
If it be such as never dies. 
The bud just opens here below, 

The flower blooms on in Paradise !" 

Every thing in nature and grace are active, full of 
life and motion, on the wing. The sun, the moon, the 



KEEPING LITTLE FOLKS BUSY. 369 

sparkling heavens, the birds, the floods, the rippling 
brooks, and flowing founts ; the birds warble on every 
tree, in ecstacy of joy ; the tiny flower, hidden from 
all eyes, sends forth its fragrance of full happiness ; 
the mountain-stream dashes along with a sparkle and 
murmur of pure delight. The object of their creation 
is accomplished, and their life gushes forth in har- 
monic work. O plant ! O stream ! worthy of admi- 
ration to the wretched idler ! 

Idleness is the bane, the moth, the gangrene, the 
curse of life. 

" Dream not, but work ! Be bold ! be brave ! 
Let not a coward spirit crave 

Escape from tasks allotted ! 
Thankful for toil and danger be ; 
Duty's high call will make thee flee 
The vicious — the besotted." 



The secret of all success in life, of all greatness, nay, 
of all happiness, is to live for a purpose. There are 
many persons always busy, who yet have no great 
purpose in view. They fritter away their energies on 
a hundred things, never accomplishing any thing, be- 
cause never giving their undivided attention to any 
one thing. They are like butterflies, that flit from 
spot to spot, never gaining wealth ; while the ant, who 
strictly keeps to a certain circuit around her hole, 
gradually lays up stores for winter comfort. " Go to 
the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways and be w T ise." 

16* 



370 EXAMPLE KILLS, EXAMPLE CUBES. 



EXAMPLE KILLS, EXAMPLE CURES. 

" Christian I walk carefully — danger is near, 
"Work out the journey with trembling and fear ; 
Snares from without, and temptation within 
Seek to entice thee again into sin." 

• 
THE LITTLE BOY AND HIS MOTHER. 

A word to the wise is sufficient. " If I were only 
old enough, I would smoke cigars, mamma," said a 
boy of six summers, as he stood looking out of the 
window. 

" O, no, my son, smoking is not a nice, cleanly 
habit. It is injurious to the health, leads people into 
bad company. Besides, it wastes a great deal of 
money that might feed and clothe poor, little, 
wretched children, or give the Bible to those who have 
never heard any thing about Jesus, our Saviour. 
Don't you see that such a useless, wasteful habit 
would be very wrong, my dear boy ?" 

" Yes, mamma, I do think of these things, but 
papa teaches us to smoke, and he is good." 

" Papa teaches you ! He would not teach you a 
bad habit for the world ! What makes you say so?" 

" He smokes himself, mamma !" 

Christian father, is the fine, promising boy, growing 
up by your side, upon whom you look with gratitude 
and joy, to be impressively taught by your silent ex- 
ample, to begin a career of self-indulgence, which 



EXAMPLE KILLS, EXAMPLE CURES. 371 

will lead him by slow but sure steps, to idle loung- 
ing, sinful expenditures, evil company, and perhaps to 
profanity, intemperance, and the worst of vices ? O 
stop, stop daily, when you are nearest to God in your 
closet, and consider well your ways, consider them 
especially in reference to your child. Think how 
potent is the influence of your example, even in little 
things, in this forming period of his character, and 
how lasting is its power. A wrong step now — a little 
step into the path of doubtful self-indulgence, and out 
of the path of unquestionable moral rectitude, your 
child will be quick to see, and the sight may be a 
death-blow to pure, unyielding moral principle in his 
heart forever ! O Christian parent, you would not, 
as you fear God, for any present pleasure, peril the 
temporal and eternal future of your confiding child. 



CCOex 



Train your children in charity. Begin young. As 
soon as they can speak, they can learn the grace of 
giving pity, prayers, and money to the destitute and 
oppressed. Easier then than later. When the ten- 
derness of childhood and youth has been supplanted 
by the more earnest and sterner business of active life, 
it will be much harder to touch the heart with tales 
of sorrow, and elicit sympathy in its behalf. 



372 



BAD FOLKS. 




BAD FOLKS. 

OR, A CHILD LEFT TO HIMSELF BRINGETH HIS MOTHER 

TO SHAME. 



Unruly children, — who has not seen them ? dis- 
tressing all about them with the willfulness of their 
conduct, and their violent bursts of passion ! 

How many a widowed mother has gone to the grave 



BAD FOLKS. 373 

in consequence of an unruly child ; " a child that has 
been left to himself !" 

" He is too young to be punished or restrained," 
says the foolishly fond mother ; and so he is allowed 
to vent his anger on his older brother or sister. " He 
is too young, he will grow out of it, and do better 
when he is older." So have a thousand mothers said, 
while their children have been growing up with un- 
subdued wills, and ere they were aware, they have 
found a serpent within their own family circle. How 
many such circles we have seen ! 

A mother comes to us and says : " What shall I 
do with my daughter ? she has become so unruly that 
I can do nothing with her. She is indolent ; she will 
not work ; she will not rise in the morning until, per- 
haps, ten o'clock ; w T hile I am obliged to be up before 
it is light, to attend to household duties. O, I fear 
she will go to destruction !" Alas ! we fear so too ; 
we know she will, unless a miracle interpose in her 
behalf. 

Where lies the difficulty in such a case — in the pa- 
rent or the child ? In almost every such instance, 
family government has been lost. The child has been 
left to herself. Is it strange that such children bring 
their parents to shame ? While human nature retains 
its downward propensity, while the Word of God is 
true, this must, this will be the result. 

Children who are disobedient at home will be so at 



374 BAD FOLKS. 

school. Unaccustomed to restraint in the family, they 
have no idea of submitting themselves to any whole- 
some regulations at school. 

It is affecting to witness the extent to which this 
evil exists in our cities. It is, indeed, as it regards 
young girls, the great source of the fearful sin, which, 
as friends of moral purity, we deplore. How many 
are the instances we could name where the steps from 
disobedience to parents to the house of death, are as 
plain as though traced with a sunbeam ! 

" Where are you going this afternoon ?" says a 
mother to her daughter, perhaps fifteen or sixteen 
years of age. " O, I am only going to take a walk," 
replies the child. " Where are you going to walk ?" 
asks the mother. " O, no matter," says the daughter, 
and is gone ! 

The poor, fond mother's heart is anxious, her coun- 
tenance sorrowful, but her daughter heeds it not. 
She goes her way, meets others like herself, some, 
perhaps, farther advanced on the road to ruin. Step 
by step she passes on ; she walks, she rides with some 
gay young man, until the fatal moment when she is 
allured to the house of death. The misery that fol- 
lows to herself, her family, and friends, remains un- 
told ; it can not be described ! 

Alas ! that parents and guardians should so often 
forget that " a child left to himself bringeth his 
mother to shame." 



SAFEGUARDS. 375 

Mothers — 

i 

" There is a special work marked out for you ; 
It may be of the lowest kind ; it may 
Be such as shall the loftiest powers display, 
But none beside yourself your work can do." 



«CCOo 



SAFEGUARDS. 

One of the best safeguards (in connection with the 
subduing of the will) for boys and girls, is regular, 
systematic employment. And let this begin early, 
very early, and be followed up unremittingly.. 

Let them have their appointed hours, and let these 
hours of duty and industry be adhered to with the 
utmost tenacity. Children left to themselves are sure 
to bring their parents to shame. 

Parent, do you bejieve this ? It is more than pos- 
sible you may, when too late, and you drink the bit- 
ter cup to its dregs : when your gray hairs are being 
brought prematurely to the grave ! 

A child's time (of all others) is of infinite impor- 
tance. Set your children to work, keep them at it, 
something that will count for time and eternity. 

11 What can be worse than idleness 

For making children bad ? 

It surely leads them to distress 

And much that's very sad." 



376 "i didn't think. 



t i 



I DIDN'T think; 1 



Indeed ! Young friend, you ought to think, and 
keep thinking all the time, and to think right, speak 
right, and act right. " As a man thinketh, so is he." 
There is no excuse whatever for boys and girls think- 
ing bad things, speaking bad things, or doing bad 
things. The Lord gives directions in his blessed 
Word for thinking, speaking, and acting, for little 
folks and great folks. Whenever we hear any of our 
juvenile friends say, " I forgot," or " I didn't think," 
we take it for granted there is a weak spot, a worm 
at the root. 

" I didn't think," said a little boy to his mother, as 
she reproved him for using a bad word, for which she 
had corrected him before. Hundreds of little boys 
and girls, perhaps, have said the same thing, " I didn't 
think.' But it is no trifle to do this without think- 
ing ; it is evidence of heedlessness, especially when 
children repeat the acts for which they have been re- 
buked. Just think of it : your father and mother 
forbid you to do a certain act, and yet you do it with- 
out thinking ! So little regard for your parents' 
counsel, that you even forget their reproofs. 

Suppose you grow up and become men and women 
with this " I didn't think " habit really fortped. 
What blunders would you make ! What errors and 
sins would mar your character ! That young book- 



PUNCTUALITY. 377 

keeper in Boston who pocketed his employer's money, 
" didn't think " of the consequences to himself and 
family. He " didn't think " about the shame and 
disgrace for life that would follow, nor about the 
gloomy prison, and heart-broken wife, and aged pa- 
rents going down with sorrow to the grave. If he had 
been thoughtful enough to have weighed the conse- 
quences, he might have remained honest. And es- 
pecially might this have been the case, if he had 
thought of God, and the future judgment, where his 
sin would surely find him out, if it did not before. 
But alas ! he " thought " too late ! No doubt he was 
one of the " didn't think " boys in his youth, and 
his habit of thoughtlessness ruined him in manhood 
and brought him to prison. 

" He that good thinketh, good may do, 
And God will help him thereunto : 
For never was good work wrought, 
Without begiuning of good thought." 



PUNCTUALITY. 

It is said of Melancthon, that when he made an ap- 
pointment he expected not only the hour but the min- 
ute to be fixed, that no time might be wasted in idle- 
ness or suspense ; and of Washington, that when his 
secretary, being repeatedly late in his attendance, laid 
the blame on his watch, he replied, " You must get 
another watch, or I another secretary" 



378 



STRAY SHEEP. 




STRAY SHEEP. 



Look them up, hunt them up. Look after the stray 
sheep, if any wander from the fold. Every member 
on the church list should be looked after. Is there 
one absent from the fold, from the church, the house 
of prayer, or conference? even once? Rest not till 
you know the cause of detention — whether sickness, 
affliction of any kind, the loss of friends — the hand of 
poverty, destitution, or, what is still worse, the tempter 
may have tempted them from the path of duty. Are 



STRAY SHEEP. 379 

they in the dark ? the slough' of despond, doubting 
castle? Are they stumbling on the dark mountains 
of sin and error? Have they fallen among thieves? 
Look them up, search them out, bring home the wan- 
derers, the lost sheep, whatever is the cause of ab- 
sence from duty, the privileges of God's house. Rest 
not till you know the utmost of the causes. 

" What think ye, if a man have an hundred sheep 
and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the 
ninety and nine and goeth into the mountains and 
seeketh that which is gone astray ? And if so be that 
he find it, verily I say unto you he rejoiceth more of 
that sheep than of the ninety and nine which went 
not astray." " Even so it is not the will of your 
Heavenly Father who is in heaven, that one of these 
little ones should perish." 

" The Shepherd sought his sheep, 

The Father sought his child ; 
They followed me o'er vale and hill, 

O'er deserts waste and wild ; 
They found me nigh to death, 

Famished, and faint, and lone ; 
They bound me with the bonds of love, 

They saved the wand'riug one 1" 

Look up the stray sheep. Some churches are re- 
miss on this point, neglect to carry the lambs in the 
bosom— consequently they wander off into forbidden 
paths— lose their first love, till by and by— they dis- 
honor their profession or fall to rise no more ! 

"Whereas, had these wanderers from the fold of 



3S0 STRAY SHEEP. 

Christ, been timely looked after, watched over, prayed 
over, provoked to love and good works, they might 
have been saved from these pitfalls, the wiles of Sa- 
tan, led on from strength to strength, become bright 
and shining lights. " If a man be overtaken in a 
fault, ye who are spiritual restore such an one in the 
spirit of meekness ; considering thyself, lest thou also 
be tempted." " Feed my lambs." 

" Good Shepherd 1 thine own life was given 
To save thy wandering sheep ; 
Oh, ever in the narrow path 
Our roving footsteps keep I 

" Tar off, the road which leads to death 
Looks beautiful and fair ; 
Lord, seek thy servants if they stray, 
Nor let us perish there. 

" Then, though a feeble little flock, 
We will not faint nor fear : 
A glorious kingdom waits for those 
Who follow Jesus there." 



" The Bible is to the moral world what the sun is 
to the natural : — put out the sun from the firmament, 
and all the stars of light withdraw their shining, and 
the world is reduced to chaos and darkness as at the 
beginning. Put away the Bible from our world, and 
the dark pall of moral night would settle down upon 
us without one glimmering ray of light to guide and 
cheer us in this world, or illuminate the future with 
hope." 



A WORD TO OUR LITTLE READERS. 381 

A WORD TO OUR LITTLE READERS, 

ABOUT THE LORD'S DAY. 

"Sweet Sabbath hours ! time's golden flowers, 
With balm and incense freighted ; 
Throughout the week of heaven they speak, 
And things to heaven related." 

Little folks, do you lay aside your playthings on 
the Lord's day, your little carts, hobby-horses, doll 
babies, and other implements of sport and hilarity ? 

God's day is God's day, not only for great folks, 
but for little folks, for all both great and small. The 
Lord's day is a day of holy rest. Every thing, save 
things of necessity and mercy, must be laid aside, 
every thought, every word, every act. 

We have no right to think about sports and pas- 
times, worldly or secular things, on the Lord's day, 
about farms, lots, houses, merchandise, bank stock, 
party politics, to form secular plans or engagements 
of any kind ; of these and every secular project or 
speculation, think not, much less talk about them. 

The distinguished and holy Judge Hale testified 
publicly, that whenever he gave way in the least, on 
the Sabbath, to worldly thought, he suffered. God 
rebuked him, if not on the spot, during the follow- 
ing week. 

" As a man thinketh ... so is he." Thoughts 



882 A WORD TO OUR LITTLE READERS. 

are words, words are actions. Bring every thought 

into the obedience of Christ. Make every possible 

preparation for holy time, lay aside every weight, 

every care, every unholy thought. Begin the Lord's 

day hefore it begins. " Remember the Sabbath day 

to keep it holy." Anticipate it, keep it in memory. 

Retire the night previous, expecting, Relieving — God 

will make the Sabbath a day of special interest, a day 

of rest to your soul, a day of conquest and great grace. 

Begin the Lord's day with the Lord, continue it 

with him to the end. Let the words of your mouths, 

the meditations of your hearts, be acceptable in his 

sight. 

" In union sweet, fond circles meet, 
And home becomes still dearer ; 
As early ties catch hope's bright eyes, 
And heaven 'itself seems nearer." 

Boys and girls should be trained to keep the Lord's 
day holy. Nothing like sport, pastime, hilarity, 
secularity, or things pertaining merely to this life, 
should be allowed for a moment, not a breath or syl- 
lable of it. The whole day should be rest, rest of 
body, mind, and soul. Sabbath-breaking begins in 
the nursery, in the very cradle of existence, and goes 
on, step by step, strengthening little by little, till 
there is a general smash down of holy time, and all 
manner of high-handed, out-breaking, God-defying 
iniquity rushes in like a flood. 



i've nothing to do. 383 

"Day ever bless'd! type of the rest 
That for the saints remaineth : 
Happy is he who joys in thee, 
And ne'er thy joys profaneth." 



I'VE NOTHING TO DO. 

I've nothing to do ; how oft has this fell 

With a weight on my listening ear ! 
"When I've thought of the world, of heaven and hell, 

And all the soul's interest so dear. 

I've nothing to do — see the world rush on 

With its rail-car, lightning speed — 
And- Satan is driving his car upon 

Rich soil, where once thrived the " good seed." 

I've nothing to do ; O ! ne'er let it fall 

From tongues that have lisped Jesus' name, 

Tell sinners our Saviour came them to call — 
Go snatch them as brands from the flame. 

I've nothing to do ; O ! think of His life 

Who lived our example below, 
What sorrows He bore ; what labor, what strife, 

On us a free pardon to bestow. 

I've nothing to do ; go, Christian, to God — 

For pity and pardon now sue : 
Heart-stricken with grief, and faith in 'his word, 

Cry, " What wouldst thou have me to do ?" 



884 



WICKED BOYS. 




WICKED BOYS. 

Wicked ? who doubts it ? Look anthem. A wicked 
boy or girl can not be wicked long without being 
known. " Be sure your sin will find you out." Guilt 
shows itself in every thought, w T ord, and deed, and is 
sure to bring disgrace, shame, and misery. 

Boys and girls are known by their looks and the 



WICKED BOYS. 385 

company they keep. One bad boy makes another 
bad boy. One sickly sheep infects the whole flock. 
" One sinner destroyeth much good." Trust a bad 
boy ? Who will trust a boy that plays truant, breaks 
the Sabbath, tells falsehoods, disobeys his parents, 
lounges about, smokes or chews the poisonous weed ? 
Trust such a boy? What merchant, what printer, 
what mechanic, what cobbler % No wonder such chaps 
can find no one to employ them. No wonder they 
are ready to perish. The truth is, everybody is afraid 
to trust them. 

Boys, do you want to be trusted, respected, and 
loved by all good people — to find a good place in some 
store, printing-office, or mechanic's shop ? Wake up, 
stir about, keep good company, speak truth, attend 
the Sabbath-school and the Bible class, and the house 
of God. Obey your parents, keep away from the 
street school, grog-shops, lounger's corner, and more 
still, keep a clean mouth and a clean heart, and our 
word for it, you will find business enough, and good 
enough, more than you can do. " Take away the 
dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a 
vessel for the finer." 

Young friends, do you know how soon you are 
rated by elder people ? Every boy in the neighbor- 
hood is known — opinions are formed of him, and he 
has a character, favorable or unfavorable. A boy of 

whom the master can say, " J *un trust him ; he never 

' 17 



386 WICKED BOYS. 

failed me," will never want employment. The fidelity, 
promptness, and industry which he has shown at 
school and at home, are prized everywhere. He who 
is faithful in little will be faithful in much. 

It is an evil and bitter thing to sin against God, to 
break any of his commandments, and especially to 
raise the puny arm of rebellion against a kind father 
or mother. " Honor thy father and thy mother, that 
thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord 
thy God giveth thee." " He that smiteth his father 
or his mother, shall surely be put to death. And he 
that curseth his father or his mother, shall surely be 
put to death !" Ex. xxi. 15. 

Deut. xxi. 18 — " If a man have a stubborn and re- 
bellious son, which will not obey the voice of his 
father or mother, and that when they have chastened 
him, will not hearken unto them ; all the men of the 
city shall stone him with stones, that he die, so shalt 
thou put evil away from among you/' 

" Have we not heard what dreadful plagues 
Are threatened by the Lord, 
To him who breaks his father's law, 
Or mocks his mother's word ?" 



There are moments in life that are never forgot, 
Which brighten, and brighten, as time steals away ; 
They give a new charm to the happiest lot, 
And they shine on the gloom of the loneliest day ; 
These moments are hallowed by smiles and by tears, 
The first look of love, and the last parting given. 



THE STEEET SCHOOL AND ITS FRUITS. 



387 




THE STREET SCHOOL AND ITS FRUITS 

11 0, it is a sadd'ning sight, 
When children go astray, 
Forsaking what is good and right, 
To walk in Satan's way." 



Marble plaj-ing, copper-pitching, cliess and check- 
ers, are often stepping-stones to the gaming-table. 
Many of the most dissolute, degraded, miserable, and 
abandoned, date their first moving steps ruinward to 
marble-playing, the chess-board, or what is erroneously 
termed an innocent game at cards. 

How then can parents, especially religious parents, 
consistently permit their children to engage in them ? 
Time is lost, worse than lost, precious, golden mo- 
ments, for which God will call you to account. A 
seared conscience, a callous heart, a turning away 
from the path of life to the path of death, is sure to 
accompany these games, sooner or later. 



388 THE 8TKEET SCHOOL AND ITS FEUITS. 

" My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not." 
" Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not 
into the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, 
turn from it and pass away." Prov. i. 10 ; also iv. 
14, 15. 

Recently two hoys were playing at marbles, and 
several, as is usual, were looking on to see how the 
game went ; and it went very peaceably for a time. 
At last " You cheat," burst from one, " You lie !" 
cried the other. " Tell me I lie ?" cried the first 
with an angry scowl. " Call me a cheat ?" rejoined 
the second. " Call me a cheat again, and you take 
that," doubling up his fist in the other boy's face. 
" Get out," cried the first, jumping up in a passion, 
" or I'll pitch into you." And pitch into each other 
they did like a couple of bulldogs. It was a regular 
fight, until one got the nosebleed^ and the other was 
kicked over into the dirt. 

A city missionary in an eastern city, visited a man 
in jail waiting his trial. 

" Sir," said the prisoner, tears running down his 
cheeks, " I had a good home education ; it was my 
street education that ruined me. I used to slip out 
of the house, and go off with the boys in the street. 
In the street I learned to lounge ; in the street I 
learned to swear ; in the street I learned to smoke ; 
in the street I learned to gamble ; and in the street 
I learned to pilfer. Oh, sir, it is in the street the 



SIGNS OF PROSPERITY. 389 

deYil lurks to work the ruin of the young !" Some 
boys are always in the street. They sleep and eat at 
home, but they live on the street ; seek amusement 
on the street ; do all the work they have to do on the 
street ; receive their education on the street ; they 
enter society on the street ; and the devil enlists them 
in his service on the street. Oh, parents, all the 
means of grace in the world can not save them if they 
go much on the street-. 

" There is no remedy for time misspent ; 

No healing for the waste of idleness, 
Whose very languor is a punishment 

Heavier than active souls can feel or guess. 
0, hours of indolence and discontent 

Not now to be redeemed ! ye sting not less 
Because I know this span of life was lent 

For lofty duties, not for selfishness." 



■oCCO* 



SIGNS OF PROSPERITY. 

Where spades grow bright and idle swords grow 

dull; 
Where gaols are empty, and where barns are full ; 
Where church paths are with frequent feet outworn ; 
Law courtyards weedy, silent, and forlorn ; 
Where doctors foot it, and where farmers ride ; 
Where age abounds, and youth is multiplied ; 
Where these signs are, they clearly indicate 
A happy people and well governed state. 



390 



EYES AND NO EYES. 




EYES AND NO EYES. 

Boys and girls, do you ever do wicked things se- 
cretly, or in the dark — things shameful — because you 
suppose no eye sees you ? Young friends, don't God 
see you ? always, everywhere, by night and by day ? 
God never sleeps, never slumbers. " His eyes behold, 
His eyelids try the children of men." God looks from 
heaven, His high and holy habitation, continually, 
beholding the evil and the good, every thought, every 
word, every action is known to him, even afar off. 
Read the one hundred and thirty-ninth Psalm, and 
see if God is not always present, to approve or disap- 
prove, and every lisping thought of your tongue is 
known to Him. In the darkest night, His eyes be- 
hold. Beware how you sin in thought, word, or deed. 



" I'm not too young for God to see, 

He knows my name and nature too ; 
And all day long he looks at me, 
And sees my actions through and through. 



IS THERE NO GOD? 391 

" He listens to the words I say, 

He knows the thoughts I have within, 
And whether I'm at work or play, 
He's sure to see me if I sin. 

u G, how can children tell a lie, 

Or cheat in play, or steal, or fight ; 
It they remember God is by, 

And has them always in his sight? 

" Then when I want to do amiss, 
However pleasant it may be, 
ni always try to think of this, 
I'm not too young for God to see. M 



IS THERE NO GOD! 

There is no God, the fool in secret said — 

There is no God that rules on earth or sky ; 
Tear off the band that folds the wretch's head, 

That God may burst upon his faithless eye. 
Is there no God ? — the stars, in myriads spread, 

If he look up, the blasphemy deny, 
"Whilst his own features in the mirror read, 

Reflect the image of Divinity. 
Is there no God ? — the stream that silver flows, 

The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, 
The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, 

All speak of God ; throughout one voice agrees, 
And eloquent his dread existence shows : 

Blind to thyself, ah, see him, fool, in these. 



392 



REVERENCE FOR THE AGED. 




REVERENCE FOR THE AGED. 

" WITHOUT NATURAL AFFECTION." 

Where is the reverence of the 

olden time ? Men with gray hairs, 

women with wrinkled faces, and some 

who have not so far advanced in life, 

speak of it as a thing that was, and 

they mourn that they do not see it 

now-a-days. Once age was respected 

because it was without regard to titles 

jg or riches ; the very children in the 

street paused as the old man tottered 

by them, leaning on his stick, his 

long white hair fluttering in the breeze, and his dim 

eyes lighting up at the sight of the pleasant smile. 

Is it so now ? How are the aged and infirm treated 
at the present day ? Their sorrows, their tears, their 
humble, hard toils for children who have grown to 
manhood, are all forgotten, and* those to whom they 
have given birth are ashamed of them. Alas ! that 
it should be so — that while God, the great being to 
whom we owe all that we have and are, treats the gray 
hairs with reverence, calling them crowns of glory, 
we insult them in our conduct toward them, both in 
public and in private. Let no one who has any regard 
for his own character, his own purity and integrity, 



REVERENCE FOR THE AGED. 393 

treat the aged with irreverence — they stand very near 
God. 

" Speak gently to' the aged one, 
Grieve not the care-worn heart ; 
The sands of life are nearly run, 
Let such in peace depart." 

Young friends, how do you treat the aged ? re- 
spectfully ? When you meet an aged man or woman, 
bending under the weight of years and infirmities, do 
you bow reverently, walk softly, give place, yield your 
seat in the family, in the cars, the house of God ? Do 
you check every rising thought of disrespect or ridi- 
cule ? 

" Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and 
honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God. I 
am the Lord." Lev. xix. 32. 

Behold yonder aged man, feeble, tottering on the 
grave's brink. See you not upon his temples the 
snows of many winters ? See you not the sunken eye, 
the bowed form, the thin hand upon whose surface the 
blue veins stand out like cords ? Gone are the beauty 
and strength of manhood ; and in that faded eye but 
little light is left, save that of love and kindness. 
The voice has lost its music, save the soft undertone 
of affection. 

Oh, you in whose bounding veins young life yet lin- 
gers ; and you in the full beauty and vigor of man- 
hood, respect the aged ! Speak gently, hush the rude 



394 REVERENCE FOR THE AGED. 

laugh, check the idle jest, listgn to the wisdom which 
is the voice of experience. Cheer him with kindly- 
words, encircle him with your strong arm, and lead 
him as he descends the western hill of life, the shadows 
deepening into night — the white hairs upon his tem- 
ple already drifting in the cool breeze which comes 
up from the shadow of death. 

Honor the aged, that he may leave you his blessing 
on the threshold of the unknown land. Honor him, 
and God will raise up for you friends to remove the 
thorns from the last league of your own life-journey ; 
for the sake of the weary one of long ago, who never 
wept for your ingratitude ; whose bowed form never 
struggled with a weight of care or grief which you 
might have carried, while you walked carelessly along, 
intent upon your own ease and pleasure. Honor the 
aged for His sake who was old before the world was 
—whose life is from everlasting to everlasting. 

" Honor him that feebly walketh 

With his staff, the white-haired sage. 
G-od will curse the wretch that mocketh 
Hoary hairs, with slighted age." 



A friend may be often found and lost, but an old 
friend can but once be found ; and God has provided 
that he shall not arbitrarily be lost. 



KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 



395 




kindness to animals- 
Be kind to the beast ? Certainly yon should, little 
folks and great folks. Even a worm, a fly, an insect 
should call forth compassion. 

" The Lord who gives us daily bread 

Supplies their wants and hears their cry, 
And every wrong which they endure 
Is marked by his paternal eye. 

" And should you cruelly betray 

Your trust o 7 er those who can't complain, 
Beware, the measure that you mete 
May be returned to you again." 

" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain 
mercy." And the " merciful man is merciful to his 
beast." 



396 KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 

Have not the animal creation as good a right to 
live, inhale God's pure atmosphere, as we have ? 

" A man of kindness to his beast is kind, 
But brutal actions show a brutal mind. 
Remember, He who made thee made the brute ; 
Who gave thee speech and reason, formed him mute. 
He can't complain; but God's all-seeing eye 
Beholds thy cruelty — He hears his cry. 
He was designed thy servant, not thy drudge : 
And know — that his Creator is thy judge !" 

What says Cowper, the poet ? 

" I would not enter on my list of friends, 
* * * the man 

Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm." 

There is a doctrine that all the animals one abuses 
in this life, will have a chance to retaliate in another. 

If this be true, what torments must be endured by 
some owners of cats, dogs, sheep, cows, oxen, and 
horses. What lashings and starvings, what kicks and 
cuffs, and pinchings with cold and hunger, are in store 
for them ! 



*oco» 



How many a poor, idle, erring outcast is now 
creeping and crawling his way through the world, 
who might have held up his head and prospered, if, 
instead of putting off his resolutions of amendment 
and industry, he had only made a beginning ! 



QUICK TIME ! 397 



QUICK TIME! 

Wait? little folks, wait! wait for what? Wait? 
not a moment, not an instant, do what your little 
hands find to do with your might. Be quick ! quick 
as a flash ! Spring, run, hop, skip, fly on the wings 
of faith, love, and obedience. When father, mother, 
or teacher says, " Go, — do this or that," leap at once, 
go forward, speed, — haste to do it. 

Quick ! — don't wait. Does mother think, speak, 
wink, nod, point the finger, whisper ? In a minute 
obey. " Mother, what is it ? here I am." Is it bed- 
time ? — go in a minute. Is it time to rise — do the 
birds sing ? — up in a minute, quick ! Is it time for 
prayers, to read the big Book, tune the harp, bow the 
knee ? — be ready in a minute, quick ! Is it time to 
labor ? — at it in a minute. Does the dinner-bell ring ? 
— be at it in a minute, quick, on the spot. Is it time 
for school or the sanctuary ? — go in a minute — be in 
time. "What thy hands find to do, do with thy 
might. 

" Whene'er a duty waits for thee, 
With sober judgment view it, 
And never idly wish it done ; 
Begin at once and do ft" 

One diligent, active, life-giving, soul-stirring, go- 
ahead boy or girl, will do more to the purpose than 
half a score of these dull pates, these snails or drones. 



398 SELF-WILLED CHILDREN. 

Besides, the danger is of these listless, stupid, moping, 
snail-like habits, once formed, clinging for life ! 
Painful thought ! Wake up ! 

Young friends ! what says the Bible, the Book of 
books ? 

" He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand, 
but the hand of the diligent maketh rich." 

" The hand of the diligent shall bear rule ; but the 
slothful shall be under tribute." 

" Be earnest — stop not, no delay. 
Act in the present hour ; 
Yea act ; and acting, humbly pray, 
That God would give thee power. 

" Be earnest — though thy labor seem 
To thee, to come to naught, 
Work on — ere long a heavenly gleam 
Will show what thou hast wrought." 



cCCO 



SELF-WILLED CHILDKEU, 

Of all others, are the most troublesome, disagreeable, 
the most difficult to manage. Where is hope of re- 
form or betterment, so long as the will remains un- 
subdued. A willful child is like an unruly ox, very 
hard to manage and very unpleasant to endure. We 
would rather lie on a bed of nettles, than dwell with 
a family of self-willed boys and girls. The nettles 
would only sting the body. Self-willed children sting 
themselves, body, mind, and soul, and every one within 
the reach of their voice. 



THE LITTLE FOLKS — DO YOU NOTICE THEM 2 399 




THE LITTLE FOLKS— DO YOU NOTICE THEM? 

THE LAMBS OF THE FLOCK? 

"Jesus loves the little ones, 
Loves to hear them pray ; 
Loves to watch the tender lambs, 
Lest they go astray." 

Speak kindly, gently, affectionately to the little folks, 
at home and abroad. It will do your heart good to 
notice the sweet, obedient little prattlers, take them 
in your arms, and give them a rosy kiss. 

Children, well disciplined, are always lovely, angel- 
like. This kind, innocent familiarity with children is 
not only happifying on your own mind, but on the 
minds and hearts of the little ones. It is also pleas- 
ing to the parents, it gains their good will, it teaches 



400 THE LITTLE FOLKS — DO YOU NOTICE THEM? 

children courtesy and sociability. Besides, in paying 
your respects to the younger members of the family, 
you gain their confidence and friendship, and thus a 
way is open for imparting good. Christians and 
Christian ministers especially should embrace every 
opportunity to gain the affections of children and 
youth, as a prominent item to the soul's salvation. 

The Morning Star says : " It is easy to win the 
love of children. Kind feelings, kind looks, and kind 
words, are all that is necessary. You may shower 
gifts upon a child, without winning one particle of 
affection in return ; but let that child see that you 
feel an interest in his simple sports and childish 
efforts ; that you can sympathize with him in his little 
joys and sorrows, and the point is gained at once. 

One of the most beautiful characteristics of chil- 
dren, is the expectation of love and kindness from 
all, the trusting confidence which disposes the little 
child to regard every one as a friend ; and it is, per- 
haps, to this trait more than to any other, that the 
little one is indebted for the almost universal kindness 
manifested towards him. And a pity it is, that this 
kindness should not be quite instead of almost uni- 
versal. It seems strange, indeed, that any one can 
cherish unkind feelings towards the joyous affection- 
ate little creatures who keep the heart sunshine bright 
in many a home, that would be dark indeed without 
their gentle presence. When a portion of that sun- 



RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 401 

shine is withdrawn — when one of the merry voices 
that made sweet music for us is hushed forever — then 
we feel the worth of the treasure removed from our 
care ; and the depth of our sorrow is proportioned to 
the intensity of our affection. ' We miss the small 
step on the stair,' we miss the little arms that used to 
twine so lovingly around our neck, the soft cheek that 
pressed our own, the smiling lips that gave so sweet a 
good-night kiss." 

" heaven bless the little ones, 

The angels kindly given 
To cheer our weary pilgrimage, 

Since from an Eden driven ; 
Tne flowerets by our wayside, 

To cheer us as we go, 
And make the heart forget awhile 

The bitter spring of woe." 



«co> 



RELIGIOUS TRAINING. 

Let those parents who would continue to excuse 
themselves by observing, " We can not give grace to 
our children," lay their hand on their heart and say 
whether they ever knew an instance where God with- 
held his grace w T hile they were in humble subserviency 
to him, fulfilling their duty. The real state of the 
case is this : parents can not do God's work, and God 
will not do theirs ; but if they use the means, he will 
never withhold his blessing. 



402 THE GOOD DOG TOWSER AND THE BOY WILLIE. 



THE GOOD DOG TOWSER AM) THE BOY WILLIE. 



A LESSON FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS. 




Young friends, what 
do you think Towser 
does ? When his mas- 
ter has a loaf of bread, 
or a pie, or a plate of 
dinner, to send to poor 
old Mrs. Green, Towser carries it. He never says, 
" Not now, mistress," or, " By-and-by," or, " It is too 
hot," or " too cold," or, " I don't want to," as some 
children object when told to do an errand ; but he 
goes, as pleased as can be. Nor does he ever touch a 
thing he carries, as a greedy little boy once ate up 
some nice jelly his mother sent by him to a sick 
woman. 

A dog once followed Towser as he was carrying a 
piece of meat in his basket, smelling round, and try- 
ing to put his nose into the basket. Towser gave a 
big growl to frighten him off, but the dog would not 
go. I suppose he was very hungry. At length Tow- 
ser set his basket down, turned round, and gave his 
troublesome companion a sound shaking, then took up 
his basket and trotted on. The hungry dog did not 
dare follow then. 

When Towser reaches Mrs. Green's door, how do 



THE GOOD DOG TOWSER AND THE BOY WILLIE. 403 

you think he lets her know he is there ? He scratches ? 
No. He puts his basket down, and sets up a great 
" bow-wow ;" and Mrs. Green opens the door, and 
she says, " How now, Towser, you have brought me 
something good to eat ; good dog ?" Towser wags 
his tail as much as to say he has. She takes and 
empties the basket, and hands it back to him, and 
away he bounds ; and the good old lady walks back 
to her little kitchen, saying in heart, " God sent the 
ravens to feed Elijah, and he sends Towser to feed 
me. He never sees the righteous forsaken, or his 
seed begging bread. Praise God." 

Again, not long since we were passing a store about 
midday, and the owner came out with Towser at his 
heels and a pail in his hand. He told Towser to take 
the pail and carry it to the house, a few rods across 
the way. The dog did not whine over the command, 
nor curl his tail and refuse to go ; no, not he. He 
obeyed at once, took the pail in his mouth, and away 
he went to the house. We watched him to see how 
well he fulfilled his master's orders. The door was 
closed, so he sat down on the piazza and waited a 
welcome. Five minutes passed, and no one opened 
the door ; yet the dog was patient and faithful. Five 
minutes more passed, and just as we were about to 
leave, he was seen from the window and admitted 
with his charge. Faithful dog, thought we, never to 
refuse obedience or wait for the second bidding. 



401 THE GOOD DOG TOWSER AND THE BOY WILLIE. 

Then we thought of little Willie S — — , who said 
to his mother, " No, I can't do it ; let Xed go, he is 
not doing any thing." 

Think of this, little readers ! "Willie was less obe- 
dient than Towser ; for he went cheerfully, wagging 
his bushy tail, and lifting his head as if to say, " I 
obey:' 

Learn a good lesson from the example of the dog, 
and never let it be said of you, " Towser is more obe- 
dient than "Willie." 

a Be kind to your mother, for when thou wast young, 
Who loved thee so fondly as she ? 
She caught the first accents that fell from thy tongue, 
* And joined in thy innocent glee." 



A child's perceptions are quick, and his suscepti- 
bilities are great. If for once he may disbelieve his 
father or mother, why not again ? One deception 
practiced upon his credulity, begets a suspiciousness not 
easily rooted out. We have known a child, after being 
induced by deception to take a bitter medicine, for a 
long time afterward to doubt his parent's word when- 
ever he imagined medicine might be needed. One 
mischief leads to another. And whether deception is 
practised upon the child, or whether he is allowed to 
raise doubt of his parent's veracity, the result is equally 
disastrous to the child and those who gave him birth. 



DO ANIMALS TALK ? 



405 




DO ANIMALS TALK? 



Certainly they do, just as God would have them. 
They have a language of their own, peculiar to them- 
selves. They understand each other. But how do 
animals talk, dogs, foxes, squirrels, birds, and fishes ? 
Nonsense ? say foolish, wicked things ? tell lies, open 
their lips in falsehood, profanity, or misrepresenta- 
tion ? Not a word of it — not a single word — they 
praise God — speak truth in love always. 

What a lesson for us. A distinguished philosopher 
says that every variety of animated beings possesses 
some means of intelligible communication. Each 
creature, by peculiar sounds or signs of correspond- 
ence, has a language understood by its own kind, and 
sometimes learned by others. Emotions of caution, 



406 " OLD MAN " — " OLD WOMAN." 

affection, and fear — of joy, gratitude, and grief — are 
disclosed by simple tones of voice, or by impressive 
gestures, to signalize feelings, strictly comprehended, 
and often answered. Insects and birds, fishes and 
beasts, thus express themselves — in distinct languages, 
sighed, spoken, and sung, seen, heard, and felt. He 
illustrated his theory by stating familiar facts relative 
to domestic animals. 

Is not this thought interestingly beautiful and in- 
structive to little folks ? 

Take heed then when you speak, how you speak. 

" If ye bite and devour one another, take heed ye 
be not consumed one of another." Gal. v. 15. 

" Guard well thy lips ; none, none can know 
What evils from the tongue may flow, 
What guilt, what grief may be incurred 
By one incautious, hasty word." 



"OLD MAIf — "OLD WOMAK." 

No expression that we are acquainted with, grates 
so harshly upon our ears as that of " the old man," or 
" the old woman," especially when it comes from the 
lips of a son or a daughter, speaking of father or 
mother. It is irreverent, and shows a lack of some 
kind in the training of the child. The person who 
habitually uses the expression is either intimate with 
low characters, or he does not feel that respect and 
reverence due from a child to a parent. 



MY SI8TEK 5 S GRAVE. 



407 




MY SISTER'S GRAVE. 

Who, that has been bereaved of an only sister, can 
reflect upon the closing scene of her mortal existence 
without deep sorrow and sadness of heart ! A little 
while ago, she was among the living, her cheerful 
countenance and joyous spirit gladdened every one, 
and threw an indescribable charm around the precincts 
of home ; but death regards not a sister's grief — she 
is laid, in her shrouded beauty, beneath the cold sod ; 
and her spirit, emancipated from the heavy shackles 
of mortality, has gone — 

" To the vale that fadeth never, 

Where the breath of summer roves, 
And the just in beauty, ever 
Linger, 'mid immortal groves. " 

Have you a sister? Then love and cherish her 
with all that pure and holy friendship which renders 
a brother so worthy and noble. Learn to appreciate 



408 my sister's grave. 

her sweet influence, as portrayed in the following 
words : 

He who has never known a sister's kind ministra- 
tion, nor felt his heart warming beneath her endearing 
smile and love-beaming eye, has been unfortunate in- 
deed. It is not to be wondered at, if the fountains of 
pure feeling flow in his bosom but sluggishly, or if the 
gentle emotions of his nature be lost in the sterner 
attributes of mankind. 

A sister's influence is felt even in manhood's riper 
years ; and the heart of him who has grown cold in 
chilly contact with the world, will warm and thrill 
with pure enjoyment, as some accident awakens 
within him the soft tones, the glad melodies of his 
sister's voice : and he will turn from purposes which 
a warped and false philosophy had reasoned into ex- 
pediency, and even weep for the gentle influences 
which moved him in his earlier years. 

Be kind to your sisters. You may live to be old, 
and never find such tender, loving friends as these 
sisters. Think how many things they do for you ; 
how patient they are with you ; how they love you in 
spite of all your ill temper or rudeness ; how thought- 
ful they are for your comfort, and be you thoughtful 
for theirs. Be ever ready to oblige them, to perform 
any little office for them that lies in your power. 
Think what you can do for them, and if they express 
a wish be ready to gratify it, if possible. You do not 



TRUE SOURCE OF LIGHT AND COMFORT. 409 

know how much happiness you will find in so doing. 
We never yet knew a happy and respected man who 
was unkind to his sisters. There is a beautiful song 
which says, 

" Be kind to your sisters — not many may know 
The depth of true sisterly love ; 
The wealth of the ocean lies fathoms below 
The surface that sparkles above." 



:CO 



TRUE SOURCE OF LIGHT AID COMFORT. 

Has sorrow'^ withering blight 
Your dearest hopes in desolation laid, 
And the once cheering home in gloom arrayed ? 

Yet pray, for He can turn the gloom to light. 

Has sickness entered in 
Your peaceful mansion ? Let the prayer ascend, 
On wings of faith, to that all-gracious Friend, 

Who came to heal the bitter pains of sin. 

Come to the place of prayer ! 
At morn, at night, in gladness or in grief, 
Surround the throne of grace ; there seek relief, 

And pay your free arid grateful homage there. 

So in the world above, 
Parents and children all may meet at last, 
When this their weary pilgrimage is past, 

And mingle there the joyful notes of love. 

18 



410 



A WORD TO LITTLE FOLKS. 




A WORD TO LITTLE FOLKS 



ON PRAYER. 

Pray, little friends, do you ? Wfien, where, how 

often ? In what way ? From the- lips only ? Is it 

lip service merely ? like the Pharisees, to whom 

Christ said : " This people draweth nigh to me 

with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips ; 

but their heart is far from me." Is this so, little 

folks ? or do you pray in very deed, pour out your 

souls earnestly, fervently — confess your sins, put them 

away and thank the Lord for all his mercies,and every 

good thing ? What is prayer ? 

" Prayer is the simplest form of speech 
That infant lips can try ; 
Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach 
The Majesty on high. 

" Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice, 
Returning from his ways, 
While angels in their songs rejoice, 
And say, Behold, he prays !" 



A WORD TO LITTLE FOLKS. 411 

Prayer should be the watchword, the first thing, 
the last thing ; always, rising up, lying down — going 
out and coming in, " Lifting up holy hands every- 
where." 

" Let your first thoughts by morning light 
Ascend to God on high ; 
And in the evening raise your thoughts 
Above the starry sky. 

" He loves to hear your infant prayers : 
He bids you seek his face : 
Go, like the children of his love, 
And ask his promised grace." 

We frequently put the question to little boys and 
girls, " Do you pray ?" " O yes, to be sure we pray." 
" How often ?" " Once a day," " twice," " three 
times." " How do you pray ?" " Now I lay me 
down to sleep," " Our Father which art in heaven," 
etc. Yery well, so far so good. All this may be and 
no soul in it — no repentance, no faith, no hope in 
Christ — no hungerings after righteousness — no break- 
ing off from sins — little sins and great sins — sins of 
omission and commission. Those very boys and girls 
that tell us they pray so and so, meanwhile are care- 
less, thoughtless, proud, vain, trifling — say wrong 
things, and do wrong things. Others go still further, 
disobey their parents, play truant, rjin about in the 
street school, tell lies,* call hard names, quarrel with 
their brothers and sisters — say, " I will" and " I won't." 

Is this you, young friends ? If so, what avail your 



412 A WORD TO LITTLE FOLKS. 

prayers ? David says : " If I regard iniquity in my 
heart the Lord will not hear me." Do you think God 
will hear your prayers, while you thus despise his 
counsels, trample on his precepts, grieve his dear heart 
of love ? Again, the Psalmist says : " I will wash 
my hands in innocency, so will I compass thine altar, 
O Lord." What says Solomon ? " My son forget not 
my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments : 
for length of days and long life and peace shall they 
add to thee." Put away your sins, little folks, put 
them away now and forever. Go to Jesus, with 
humble confession, bow the knee — pour out your little 
souls fervently : say, " God be merciful to us sinners." 
Then the Saviour smiles, sweetly listens to your 
prayers, sends answers of mercy, keeps you as the 
apple of the eye. Will you do it ? 

"Happy the child whose early years 
Receive instruction well, 
Who hates the sinner's path, and fears 
The road which leads to hell. 

"When we devote our youth to God, 
'Tis pleasing in his eyes ; 
A flower, when offered in the bud, 
Is no vain sacrifice." 



cOCO 



Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 

The Christian's native air, 
His watchword at the gate of death : 

He enters heaven with nrayer. 



FLOWERS. 413 



F.L0WEBS. 

Some one has said that " a pure passion for flowers 
is the only one which long sickness leaves untouched 
with its chilling influence." Flowers are ministers 
of grace, indeed ; and their blessed presence is ever a 
balm. Love of them is a love of the purest beautiful. 
Their mission is one of gladness and beauty, and we 
covet their presence as we covet all holy and precious 
things. 

HOPE IS STILL AN EVERGREEN. 

There are hopes which never blossom, 

There are joys too soon o'ercast — 
Smiles that light the pensive bosom, 

Smiles that beam too light at last ; 

Transient as the summer flower, 

Fleeting as the twilight's ray, 
Joy shines out its little hour, 

Then forever fades away. 

Care may shroud the soul in sadness, 

Yet, despite of present pain, 
Do we not in future gladness, 

Oft, deceived, still hopo again ? 



414 



PEACOCK AND BUTTERFLY FOLKS. 



PEACOCK AND BUTTERFLY FOLKS. 




ittle boys or girls tipped off gaily 
in fine things, gew-gaws, and 
artificials, inflated with pride and 
self-importance, remind us of the 
peacock and butterfly. 

" Some poor little ignorant children delight 
In wearing flue ribbons and caps ; 
But this is a very ridiculous sight, 

Though they do not know it perhaps." 

Young readers, how is it with you ? Are you fond 
of fine clothes ? Do you think more of a pretty face, 
a new dress, a new bonnet, a new coat, or a new hat, 
than you do of the improvement of your mind and 
heart ? of the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ ? 

Shows us a girl that spends her leisure moments 
looking in the glass, or making some bit of finery, 
and we will show you a girl with a head as symmetri- 
cal as a balloon, and as light or vain as the peacock. 

Show us a boy that is always noticing what sort of 
clothes other people have on, and would rather have 
a nice suit and stay out of school, than a plain suit 
and go to school, and we will show you a boy that 
bids fair to be, if not already, a sinner and a dunce. 



EARLY CHARITY. 415 

Do yon know, little folks, that the poor sheep and 
silk-worms wore that very clothing long before? 
" The tulip and the butterfly appear in far gayer coats 
than you. Dress fine as you will, flies, worms and 
flowers exceed you still." 

Does God take delight in fine clothes, that tend to 
vanity and pride ? " My son, give me thy heart." 

u Hear ye not a voice from heaven, 
To the listening spirit given ? 
Children, come ! it seems to say, 
Give your hearts to me to-day." 



CCOc 



EARLY CHARITY. 

Benevolence should be the first thing taught to 
the little folks, the blessedness of doing good, of mak- 
ing others happy : deeds of mercy should be incul- 
cated, rooted, and grounded at the early dawnings of 
infantile thought, word, and deed. Parents, teach 
your children to do good, and to communicate, to 
administer comfort and consolation ; to diffuse light, 
life, and salvation. Teach them that it " is more 
blessed to give than to receive," and when they are 
old they will not depart from it. Seek first for your 
rising offspring this righteousness, and all things else 
necessary for time and eternity will follow. 



416 



THE BAD GIRL. 




THE BAD GIRL. 



SHE DOES JUST AS SHE PLEASES, 



Has her own way in every thing. Her parents seem 
to have lost all control over her — if they ever had 
any. Her will is her own. Self rules the day. She 
goes out when she pleases, comes In when she pleases ; 
chooses what books, papers, or company she pleases ; 



THE BAD GIRL. 417 

runs about in stores, shops, houses, and the street 
school when she pleases ; dresses as she pleases ; grati- 
fies her passions and appetites when she pleases ; plays, 
gads, and gabbles about on the Sabbath, when she 
pleases ; she comes to the table and family prayers 
when she pleases, and stays away when she pleases ; 
obeys and disobeys when she pleases. Her will is her 
own, self the governing principle, the controlling 
power ! Notice her guilty look in the engraving ! 

Parent, is this the way you train up your little 
daughter ? Have you no misgivings ? no fears ? 

" The rod and reproof give wisdom ; but a child 
left to himself bringeth his mother to shame." Prov. 
xxix. 15. 

If spring puts forth no blossoms, in summer there 
will be no beauty, and in autumn no fruit. So if 
youth be trifled away without improvement, riper 
years will be contemptible, and old age miserable. 

" Now is the time each child should try, 

In life's bright sunny morn, 
To lay rich stores of knowledge by. 

Ere wintry age comes on. 
Tis sweet, oh sweet, to know, 

If we our time improve, 
We shall be happy here below, 

And dwell in heaven above." 



No worse sign of a child's character can appear than 
a readiness to speak lightly of a parent's authority. 



18 5 



418 



LITTLE .JA^E — THE LOVELY CHILD. 



LITTLE JAO-THE LOYELT CHILD. 




Young readers, will you 
imitate this sweet little 
girl, in obedience, in mod- 
esty, in meekness, and love 
to God and the Bible? 
Hear what her father says : 
" Anna Jane is almost 
seven years old. She reads 
a great deal, is fond of her 
books, especially the Bible. 
She is a lovely child* For 
the last two years we have 
not had occasion to reprove her. She seems to be 
constantly influenced by the Holy Spirit. She de- 
lights in family worship, and always takes the Bible 
and reads over the portions of Scripture read in wor- 
ship, that she may understand it better. Nothing in- 
terests her as much as the story of the death and 
sufferings of the Saviour. We are obliged *to be 
careful in dwelling upon that subject, as it affects her 
very deeply. She wonders greatly that all children 
in the civilized land do not love the Lord Jesus. 
We have no doubt but she is one of those little ones 
whom Jesus calls His lambs." 

u Happy the child whose early years 
Receive instruction well, 
Who hates the sinuer's path, and fears ■ 

The road which leads to hell. 



THE BIRDS AND THE NEST. 



419 




THE BIRDS AID THE NEST. 

"Who taught the bird to build her uest 
Of wool, and hay, and moss ? 

Who taught her how to weave it best, 
And lay the twigs across ? 

Who taught the busy bee to fly 
Among the sweetest flowers ? 

And lay her store of honey by, 
To eat in winter hours ? 

Who taught the little ants the way 

Their little holes to bore ? 
And through the pleasant summer's day 

To gather up their store ? 

'Twas God who taught them all the way, 
And gave them all their skill, 

And teaches children when they pray, 
To do His holy will 



420 



GATHERING FLOWEES. 



ij^r 




'^^^^ > ""-. 



GATHERING FLOWERS. 

" sweet soul'd flowers with robes so bright, 

Fair guests of Eden's birth, 
In cheerful characters of light, 
"What lines of love divine ye write, 

Upon the troubled earth." 



Young friends, whenever yon want fruits or flowers, 
be sure to ask permission of the owner. Never entei 



GATHERING FLOWERS, 421 

an orchard or flower garden unless you are first in- 
vited to do so. 

These sprightly little folks represented in the en- 
graving are innocent, harmless as doves — their every 
look indicates this. 

Yet there are some boys and girls, we regret to say, 
who take great liberties, do things they ought not. 
Others, who have no fear of God before their eyes, go 
so far as to pluck fruits and flowers secretly, and do other 
very wicked things. Stealing is stealing, theft is theft, 
robbery is robbery, in little things and great things. 
A boy or girl who will steal an apple, a pear, or bou- 
quet, will, doubtless, by-and-by, steal other things and 
greater things. Beware, little folks and great folks. 
" Thou shalt not steal," saith the holy one. " Be sure 
your sin will find you out." 

" On the goods that are not thine, 
Do not dare to lay thy finger: 
On thy neighbor's better things 
Let no wistful glances linger. 

" Pilfer not the smallest thing, 

Touch it not, howe'er thou need it ; 
Though the owner have enough, 

Though he know it not nor heed it." 



It is with health as with property ; we rarely value 
it or know how best to use or to take care of it till it 
is gone. 



4:22 



FREEDOM AND THE CAGED BIRD. 




FREEDOM AID THE CAGED BIRD. 

" Blest Freedom, still thy sway extend, 
O'er all the earth thy blessings send, 
Break every tyrant's galling chain, 
Rule all the land, rule all the main. 
Then shall be heard from shore to shore, 
In thunder tones, like ocean's roar, 
The nation's shout as loud they sing 
The praise of G-od, their only King." • 

Freedom ! What a blessing ! Who does not love 
it ? What animal, what insect ? Confine a dog, and 
how soon does he whine, cry, howl and growl for lib- 
eration ? Birds are never so happy as when on the 
wing in their native element : so the fishes of the sea, 
the bounding deer, the skipping squirrels. How much 
more sighs a human being for freedom with soul im- 
mortal ! 

Young friends, are you free ? body, mind, and 
soul ? Bless the Lord, it's a happy thing. 



FEEEDOM AND THE CAGED BIRD. 



423 



" Sometimes children sing, 

I was not born a little slave, 
To labor in the sun, 

And wish I were but in my grave, 
And all my labor done." 

It is a happy thing to be free ! Even the little 
bird in a cage will often droop its wing and be sad 
and silent. For a child to be a slave, forced to obey 
a master he does not love, separated from parents and 
home, and forbidden to read or learn the way to 
heaven, must be a sorrowful lot indeed. Be thankful, 
little reader, that it is not yours ; and when you 
praise God for all his mercies, think of this among 
them, that he has made you free and happy children. 

And do not fail to pray for the thousands of poor 
colored children in ,^^£§C>^ 

TMteL 



our land, who have 
just as much right 
to their freedom as 
any white children, -gggff 
but who are in cru- 
el bondage. Pray 
that God, in his 
own way and time, 
would break the 
arm of the oppres- jj 
sor, and let the op- 
pressed go free. 




^rVHM. 



424 



THE DYING WIFE. 




THE DYING WIFE. 

Husband, is your loved one going, gone, gone? 
Are angels hovering around her departing spirit ? 
Once she watched over your sick bed with more than 
angelic vigilance and tenderness ! 

" Thus watch' d that tir'd, patient one, 

By night as well as day, 
In sadness, and almost alone ; 

Till weeks had pass'd away ; 
Bereft of sleep — deprived of rest — 

Oppress'd — borne down with care, 
Till, oh 1 her labors have been bless'd, 

For God has heard the pray'r. 
Her cheek resumes its wonted glow, 

And placid is her brow ; 
I thought I lov'd her years ago, 

I know I love her now." 



THE DYING WIFE. 425 

" In comparison with the loss of a wife, all other 
bereavements are trifling. The wife ! she who busied 
herself so unweariediy for the precious ones around 
her ; bitter, bitter is the tear that falls upon her cold 
clay ! You stand beside her coffin and think of the 
past. It seems an amber-colored pathway, where the 
sun shone upon beautiful flowers, or the stars hung 
glittering overhead. Fain would the soul linger there. 
No thorns are remembered save those your hands may 
"unwillingly have planted. Her noble, tender heart 
lies open to your inmost sight. You think of her now 
as all gentleness, all beauty, all purity. But she is 
dead ! The dear head that once lay upon your bosom, 
now rests in the still darkness, upon a pillow of clay. 
The hands that have ministered so untiringly, are 
folded, white and cold, beneath the gloomy portal. 
The heart whose every beat measured an eternity ot 
love, lies under your feet. The flowers she bent over 
w T ith smiles, bend now above her in tears, shaking 
the dew from petals that the verdure around her may 
be kept green and beautiful. 

" There is so strange a hush in every room, no light 
footstep passing around. No smile to greet you at 
nightfall. And the old clock ticks, and strikes, and 
ticks — it was such music when she could hear it ! 
Now it seems a knell on the hours through which you 
watched the shadows of death gathering upon her 
sweet face. 



426 THE DYINO WIFE. 

" And every day the clock repeats that old story. 
Many another tale it telleth too — of beautiful words 
and deeds that are registered above. You feel — oh, 
how often — that the grave can not keep her." 

" 'Twas midnight, and he sat alone, 

The husband of the dead. 
That day the dark dust had been thrown 

Upon her buried head. 
Her orphaned children round him slept, 

But in their sleep would moan ; 
Then fell the first tear he had wept — 

He felt he was alone. 

" The world was full of life and light, 
But ah 1 no more for him ! 
His little world once warm and bright 

It now was cold and dim. 
Where was her sweet and kindly face ? 
Where was her cordial tone ? 
«? He gazed around his dwelling place, 

And felt he was alone. 

u He looked into his cold, wild heart, 

All sad and un resigned, 
He asked how he had done his part 

To one so true, so kind ? 
Each error past he tried to track — 

could he but atone ! 
He'd give his life to bring her back — 

In vain, he is alone.' ' 



Hope looks be # yond the bounds of time, 
When what we now deplore 

Shall rise in full immortal prime, 
And bloom to fade no more. 



THE LITTLE OftE SLEEPS. 



427 




THE LITTLE ONE SLEEPS. 



SHE IS NOT " DEAD BUT SLEEPETH." 



Very many little babies do sleep the sleep of death * 

" There's many an empty cradle, 
There's many a vacant bed, 
There's many a lonely bosom, 
"Whose joy and light have fled." 

Once in a happy home a sweet, bright baby died. 
On the evening of the day, when the children gath- 
ered around their mother, all sitting very sorrowful, 
Alice, the eldest, said : — 

" Mother, you took all the care of the baby while 
she was here, and you carried and held her in your 
arms all the while she was ill ; now, mother, who took 
her on c the other side' ?" 



428 THE LITTLE ONE SLEEPS. 

" On the other side of what, Alice ?" 

" On the other side of death ; who took the baby 
on the other side, mother ? She was so little she 
conld not go alone." 

" Jesus met her there," said the mother. " It is he 
who took little children in his arms to bless them, and 
said : ' Suffer them to come unto me, and forbid them 
not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven V He took 
the baby on the other side." 

Mother, has the Lord taken your sweet baby, the 
darling of your bosom ? Can you say in the spirit of 
Job : " The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, 
blessed be the name of the Lord ?" 

Weeping mother, if Christ says to you tenderly, 
" Will you not give me your little one to take care 
of, to adopt as my own," can you not say, " Yes, 
Lord, with all my heart ?" 

" As believers in Christianity, which reveals God 
as our Father, and heaven as our eternal home, it is 
our privilege to feel that, when our children are taken 
from us, they are not lost to us, but only pass on be- 
fore us to the spirit-world, to become angelic beings 
around the burning throne of God, and the Lamb. 
Jesus declared that of such is the kingdom of heaven. 
They have gone from us to live with the crowned im- 
mortals, to be watched for and cared for by the angels 
of light, and we doubt not that they will be among the 
first to welcome us among the shining courts on high." 



FAEEWELL. 4:29 

FAREWELL. 

" We part Dot now as oft before, 

Our young hearts full of glee, 
To meet the loved ones far away, 

O'er land or stormy sea ; 
But strangely mingles with our joy, 

A sad and tearful grief; 
A sorrow for the days that were, 

For joys so pure — so brief." 

" Farewell, a word that bath been, and must be. 
Alas, how sad and lonely the feelings which that sim- 
ple word awakens in the mind. It strikes a chord, 
at other times unanswered, which reverberates to the 
inmost recesses of the heart. Ask the mother, as she 
sees her first-born leave the old roof-tree to wrestle 
alone with the cold, unfeeling world, if the sound of 
that word has not caused the bitter tear to flow. Go 
ask that sister, who has just bade farewell to a loved 
and only brother, if that word brings not anguish to 
the soul. Follow her to her chamber, there mark the 
tide of sorrow as memory brings back the hours of 
sunny childhood when she sported with that brother, 
by the stream and through the glade — when he, her 
fond companion and brave protector, twined the flow- 
ery garland ; but now she believes those happy days 
forever past — the playmate of her youth is gone, new 
scenes and friends await him ; a cloud rests upon her 
spirit, to be dispelled only by fond hopes and bright 
imaginings for the future of the absent one. 



430 FAREWELL. 

" Farewell : it whispers from amid summer zephyrs 
and sighs in the autumn wind. It mingles with every 
cup of joy, and shatters the fairest images in fancy's 
mysterious realm. The bride, as she leans trustingly 
upon the arm of him for whom she loves to live, while 
yet the bridal kiss is warm upon her lip, even while 
her eye beams the pure happiness of her soul, turns 
and weeps to bid farewell to the home of her child- 
hood ; and as she clasps in a last fond embrace the 
dear ones left, the tear-dimmed eyes give evidence 
that 

" Let what will lure our onward way, 
Farewell's a bitter word to say." 

Farewell, beloved readers, farewell. Shall we meet 
to part no more forever ? 

11 When forced to part from those we love, 

Though sure to meet to-morrow ; 
We yet a kind of anguish prove, 

And feel a touch of sorrow. 
But, oh ! what words can paint the fears, 

When from those friends we sever, 
Perhaps to part for months — for years — 

Perhaps to part forever. 

In conclusion we sav, in the language of the beau- 
tiful poet, 



v ? 



" Soon and forever ! Such promise our trust, 
Though ashes to ashes and dust unto dust! 
Soon, and forever, our union shall be 

Made perfect, our glorious Redeemer, in thee." 



APPENDIX. 

Articles omitted in this volume for want of space, will, in due time, 
be issued in the form of Tracts, of four, eight, twelve, and sixteen pages 
each, at the price of one dollar for 1000 pages, viz. : 

1. Idolatry the Sin of the Age. 

2. Subjection of the Thoughts. 

3. Searching the Scriptures. When? How? 

4. The Blessed Results of Committing Portions of the Bible to 
Memory. 

5. Searching the Scriptures the Secret of Preaching, Prayer/ and 
Praise. 

6. Robbing GTod and Man. 

7. A Word to Inquirers After the Higher Christian Life. 

8. Dead Folks and Folks Not Dead. 

9. Missionaries at Home, Missionaries Abroad. 

10. Pride the First Sin and the Last. 

11. Little Fires and Great Fires. 

12. Pastoral Yisitations. 

13. How to be Graceful. 

14. Healing Slightly. 

15. Preaching to Little Folks. 

16. Family Training. 

In addition to the foregoing, a large number of the choicest, the 
most practical and reformatory articles inserted in this work will be 
published in the tract form for extensive circulation. 

Persons desiring to aid in this method of diffusing light, life, and sal- 
vation, will please give early intimation of the amount of their contri- 
butions. 

Sow the seed, keep sowing it. 

" Cast thy bread upon the waters, 
Sow in faith the little seed ; 
Be of great results expectant, 
For the harvest is decreed." 

Forget not these silpnt messengers of truth in your visitations, your 
journeyings by sea and by land. Go armed ; preach by word, by life, 
by letter, by deed. 

Select the best tracts, those and only those that breathe the reforma- 
tory, the spirit, the life, the power of the gospel — that tell on the con- 



432 APPENDIX. 

science, cut to the quick, speak convincingly, heart-searchingly the 
whole truth. 

" A packet of tracts placed on the centre table of a hotel, on Sun- 
day morning, has furnished occupation to scores of persons who did 
not know what to do with themselves otherwise, and before night not 
one of these tracts could be found unappropriated. 

" Christian traveler, when making your memoranda and doing your 
shopping, and packiug your trunks, don't forget your tracts. Whatever 
else you must leave behind, make room for these. And having pro- 
vided yourself with them, don't forget or be afraid to make use of them. 
Watch for opportunities among those who are unemployed, and whose 
time hangs heavy ou their hands. Have one packet in your carpet 
bag, and a few pages at least in your pocket. If one person seems 
averse to taking them, another will come to you for them. One may 
throw it aside in contempt, another may take up that very tract, and 
read it to the saving of the soul, or hand it to others whom you do not 
meet. A tract left at a railway station, has been found long after, a 
hundred miles off, in a neighborhood where no tract had ever been seen, 
and the people were perishing for lack of knowledge. Above all, for- 
get not to pray for God's blessing, to make these little instrumentalities 
mighty to the pulling down of strongholds ; and in the day when all 
hearts shall be disclosed, you may reap from the seed thus sown 'even 
by the wayside,' 'some thirty, some sixty, some an hundred fold.' " 

"Scatter ye seeds, and flowers will spring; 
Strew them at broadcast o'er hill and glen ; 
Sow in your garden, and time will bring 
Bright flowers, with seeds to scatter again. 

* 4 Scatter ye seeds, — nor think them lost, 

Though they fall amid leaves and are buried in earth ; 
Spring will awake them, though heedlessly tossed, 
And to beautiful flowers those seeds will give birth.* 1 

Orders thankfully received by the publisher, 189 West Twentieth 
Street, New York. 



